


Daughter of Hades

by NicholasFlamelFan



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Demigods, F/M, Hades is a Good Parent, Historical References, Katherine Pierce Bashing, Multi, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-10-09 14:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17408411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicholasFlamelFan/pseuds/NicholasFlamelFan
Summary: Katerina Petrova's younger sister Zara is a special girl. She was the product of an affair that her mother had with a wealthy stranger. Follow her story as she meets new people, gets send on quests and attacked by monsters. Just the normal life of a demigod, right?





	1. 1492: The Beginning

Zara was standing by the wall of her older half-sister's room. It was no secret in the village that her mother – if you could call her that – had an affair with a rich stranger. Zara's mother and father treated her like dirt and even Katerina followed suit.

" **A little more, dearest,** _ **"**_ their mother cooed at Katerina, wiping the sweat off the pregnant girl's forehead " **A little more. Push… a little more.** " Katerina pushed and screamed loudly. Zara was about to slip out of the room when her step-father blocked her way. He ripped her around and made sure that she watched " **It's a girl.** "

Katerina looked up at her mother with wide eyes " **A girl. Please, mother, let me see her.** "

The man who was standing behind Zara, shoved past her, not acknowledging the fact that his younger daughter hit the wall with a dull thud " **Woman, don't! What are you doing?** "

" **Let me at least hold her once…** " Katerina pleaded " **Just once.** "

" **Forget it,** " the Petrova patriarch spat, turning around with the baby " **You have disgraced this family.** "

Katerina started crying " **Father, please! No, father, no!** "

Zara chewed on her lip and looked after her step-father. She still remembered the incident where she accidentally ended up in the Underworld for the first time.

_Flashback_

" _ **You little bastard,** " Zara's father shouted, raising his hand to hit the five-year-old girl as hard as he could. He hated the little bitch. She was the reminder that his wife jumped into bed with the first stranger that came to the village. It was just the cherry on top that they were saddled with the freak and the stranger vanished " **I heard that you** **stole bread from the baker again. How dare you embarrass me like this?** "_

" _ **Father,** " Zara pleaded " **Stop. Please… Stop.** "_

" _ **You…** " The man started hitting the crying girl and once she was on the floor, he grabbed the stick he had for punishing his daughters. Well, one daughter in particular. Zara had always gotten the worst of his temper… _

_Once Zara was alone, she started sobbing harshly, curling into a small ball. Her back and even part of her stomach were flaming in pain. It hadn't been the first time she got blamed for stealing some bread. She had stolen bread before but Zara was smart enough not to get caught. This time she got blamed for Katerina's attempt to steal._

" _Who are you?" a really tall man exclaimed in Ancient Greek, seeing a little girl lying on the floor. Zara curled into a tighter ball. The man closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply to keep his temper in check. He wasn't particularly good at it but it seemed enough to sooth the child at least a little "My name is Hades. What's yours?"_

" _Zara," she whispered "Where am I?"_

_Hades blinked in surprise "You can speak Ancient Greek?"_

" _I can?" the five-year-old frowned._

_The God of the Underworld focussed on the child on the floor of his throne room. Whoever her parent was – They had to have some kind of connection to the Underworld, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to come here. How it happened – he didn't know but that didn't mean that Hades wouldn't find out. Hades eyes opened wide in realization "That's impossible. Who is your mother?"_

" _Emilia Petrova," Zara murmured._

" _Petrova," Hades whispered "I know that name…"_

_Suddenly, he heard heels clicking on the floor "Hades?" Persephone called out "Who is that?"_

" _I – My love," the ruler of the Underworld stuttered._

" _Who. Is. This?"_

_Hades swallowed nervously. Despite his rare dalliances he really did love his wife. No matter what his dear sister Demeter thought "It appears…. As if she's my daughter."_

" _She is?" Persephone questioned, looking at the tiny girl on the floor. The anger that had started to build up died down when she saw the state the child was in. She had bruises forming on her face and her dress was ripped and dirty "Why is she on the floor?"_

" _I'm sorry – Wait… What?"_

_The Goddess smiled lightly "I know you love me. Not even a child from another woman can change that." She knelt down next to the small girl and smiled "My name is Persephone. I'm this lug's wife."_

_Flashback End_

A year after Katerina gave birth, the two sisters had fled to England. The older of the two cheated and lied her way up the ranks while Zara got several dresses and some money from her father. Hades and Persephone really cared for her and did everything in their power to help her through the hardships that were her life. It hadn't always been easy but they got her through the worst as a family. It was funny how she saw the two deities as her parents, while she held no love for the people who raised her. No, that was wrong. Hades and Persephone had raised her. The Petrovas were what made her life miserable.

The sixteen-year-old was smoothing down the dress uncomfortably. Hades had given it to her and Katerina used the chance to drag her sister to a party she clearly didn't want to be at. Now Katerina was completely ignoring the younger girl in favour of flirting with Trevor. He was a vampire she met a week or two ago.

"Excuse me for a moment, Miss Katerina," the vampire apologised. He was a creature of Death and as such, the daughter of Hades Zara had noticed him immediately.

"Don't ruin this for me," Katerina hissed once the Petrova sisters were alone.

Zara rolled her eyes "Whatever you say, sister dearest."

Katerina grabbed the younger girl's arm harshly "Drop that act, Zara. I'm warning you."

"You're not my mother, Katerina," Zara glared, jerking her arm away.

Trevor came back toward them with another older, more dangerous vampire "My dear."

Katerina turned to face the two men and smiled at the stranger "Hello."

The older vampire stared at Zara's sister in complete and utter shock. There was something really wrong here and the young demigod couldn't help but feel uneasy "Forgive me," the stranger snapped out of his shock "You remind me of someone."

Zara stared at him suspiciously "Of who?"

"Zara," Katerina hissed quietly, pinching her sister's side harshly "I apologise for my sister, my Lord. Apparently, she never learned manners."

Trevor cleared his throat awkwardly "Katerina, may I introduce the Lord Elijah."

The older Petrova took the vampire's hand with a smile and curtsied "Pleasure, my Lord."

"The pleasure is mine, Katerina." He kissed her hand smoothly, making Zara roll her eyes. There were few things she hated as much as being forced to go and interact with people she couldn't care less about. In that aspect, Zara took after her father. Hades seemed to absolutely hate people. If he had been her only role model she would have most likely turned out worse than this… Thanks to Persephone, she was able to fit into the upper class quite comfortably if she wanted to. Most of the time she didn't want to. That was also the reason she enjoyed making comments at others or asking questions. It drove her sister insane but provided enough entertainment for Zara to last through a little while longer.

Katerina and Elijah were walking a little, while Zara was tagging along behind them. Mostly because her sister had glared at her and promised a painful evening if she didn't "So where is this mysterious host I've heard so much about?"

"Heard what exactly? You literally just heard of that guy for the first time," Zara mumbled under her breath, ignoring the glance the vampire in front of her sent back.

Elijah sighed "Fashionably late. He likes to make an entrance." He turned to the stairs after seeing someone out of the corner of his eye "Here he is." He held out his hand to point. Zara raised her eyebrow in the direction and then watched her sister, trying to get a glance at this mysterious Lord Niklaus. When she finally caught a glance at the man, she froze, staring at him "Katerina, Zara, may I introduce you to the Lord Niklaus." The new man was something else. Vampires were creatures of Death but this man… He was something else. Something even more dangerous than Lord Elijah. What was he?

Katerina curtsied to him, allowing him to take her hand for a kiss "Niklaus is the name my father gave me. Please… Call me Klaus."

"Don't mind me," Zara grumbled when he still didn't look away from her sister "I'll just be going."

"Zara." Katerina snapped out of whatever trance she was stuck in.

The younger Petrova shook her head "I'm not staying here." She narrowed her eyes on the man in front of her "And you shouldn't either."

" **What's that supposed to mean?** " Katerina snapped in Bulgarian, smiling at the two vampires for a second "Please, excuse us for a moment." She dragged her younger sister towards a crowd of people, her eyes blazing " **What's your problem, Zara?** _"_

" **You're my problem. I don't want to be here. Why can't you just let me go home?** " Zara questioned. She refrained from bringing up the fact that her sister was flirting with two men. Truthfully, she never did like her sister's antics. Katerina got pregnant out of wedlock – Not that Zara cared much about that. The worst thing was that she didn't even know who the father was. It was no secret in the village that Katerina liked to sleep around. No one dared to say anything about it though, fearing the wrath of the Petrova patriarch.

Katerina shook her head " **You're staying with me. Who knows how much trouble you will get yourself into.** " The older Petrova raised her eyebrow pointedly " **That dress for instances. Where did you get it?** "

" **What does it matter?** " Zara questioned defensively. No one knew about her meeting her father and that he was rich. She loved the fact that he cared about her enough to send her clothes.

" **That's my point,** " Katerina pointed out " **You aren't even denying that you're stealing them.** "

Zara stiffened " **I'm not a thief.** "

" **Of course, you're not. And those pigs from the village went missing my themselves?** "

The younger girl couldn't help the wince that escaped her. She could still remember the beating her step-father had given her because Katerina told him that she was the one who freed them " **I didn't do that and you know it.** "

" **We're not getting into this right now,** " the older sister pointed out " **I have more important things to do now.** "

" **What?** " Zara snorted " **To flirt with two Lords?** "

Katerina's hand shot out and grasped her sister's arm tight enough to make her squirm " **You will shut your mouth. Father may no longer be here but that doesn't mean that you get to talk to me like this.** "

When the two sisters rejoined the two Originals, Klaus glanced down at the youngest sister. Something was up between the two of them but his Bulgarian wasn't good enough to catch everything the two had said "From where have you come, Katerina?"

"My sister and I are new to town, my Lord," Katerina smiled, suddenly shy again.

Elijah looked at his younger brother with his eyebrow raised "Katerina and Zara are from Bulgaria."

" **Zdravei, Katerina,** " Lord Niklaus bowed.

She laughed in delight, while her sister just shook her head in exasperation. Didn't he notice that Katerina wasn't who she pretended to be? Then again… Maybe he noticed but just didn't care "Very good," the older Petrova chuckled.

Lord Niklaus looked at Elijah "Do you mind, brother? I would like to have a moment alone with Miss Katerina."

"No, not at all," Elijah shook his head and held out his arm to Zara "Would you mind joining me, Miss Zara?"

The sixteen-year-old hesitated for the shortest moment before the threat in her sister's eyes made her slump "Of course," she murmured, linking her arm with the man's.

"Happy birthday, brother," Lord Elijah nodded to his brother one last time before he lead the young girl away a few paces. Far enough so that she couldn't hear what his brother was up to "Would you care for a dance, Miss Zara?"

The sixteen-year-old shook her head "I'm afraid I can't dance… But please call me Zara, Lord Elijah."

"If you pardon my curiosity, Zara but you and Katerina do not look much alike," the vampire pointed out curiously.

"I do not believe it matters," Zara hedged, risking a glance at where her sister was standing "If you'll excuse me now? I better go while my sister is still occupied."

Elijah raised his eyebrows "In this case, it was a pleasure to meet you."

The girl curtsied smoothly "Thank you, Lord Elijah. Have a pleasant day." She made her way to the exit, glancing around as she went. When Zara was sure that she was alone, she moved into the shadow of the hallway, shadow travelling to the dining room in her father's palace in the Underworld.

"Zara," Persephone smiled, seeing her stepdaughter "Are you well?"

"I think so," she sighed, sinking into one of the chairs around the table in the dining room "Katerina is just being… Well… You know what I mean."

The Goddess of springtime frowned "What happened, sweetheart?"

Zara shifted in her chair "She dragged me to a party that I didn't want to go to and threatened me. She mentioned… she mentioned her father and that he wasn't there anymore and…"

"That wretched…" Persephone broke off, perching herself on the edge of the girl's chair, drawing her into a warm embrace "She has no power over you, Zara. You don't have to be scared of her. She is right, that awful man isn't there any longer. He can't hurt you anymore."

"I'm going to take pleasure in having that… man here," Hades mumbled, walking into the room. He felt his daughter arrive and heard what Persephone and Zara had been talking about "I'm sure Alecto would love to help me… I'll never understand how you made her like you."

Zara smiled at her father, getting up to bury her face in his chest "Hello, father." Alecto and the other two Furies had occasionally been her babysitters whenever her father and Persephone were occupied. Over the eleven years she spent in the Underworld, Zara made the acquaintance of several residents. Charon, the ferryman was one of them. He told her stories of the people he helped over. Thanatos, on the other hand, was like a brother to her. The God of Death was the one person she went to first whenever she had a problem with anything or anyone. Thanatos always listened to Zara and helped in whatever way he could. He also helped her to protect herself, teaching her how to fight along with several dead heroes who were eager to teach the daughter of Hades.

"How is England treating you?" Hades questioned, wrapping his arms around the girl's shoulders.

"It's quite nice actually," the demigod hummed "Except for Katerina but I think I can deal with her. The only thing that worries me is that two quite powerful vampires have their eye on her. I don't understand it really."

Persephone tilted her head "What do you mean powerful?"

"I don't know," Zara shrugged helplessly "They feel old, strong and one of them – Niklaus – There's something hidden, I think. He's stronger than his brother but I don't know why."

Hades frowned, thinking about where he heard the name before "Niklaus… I heard that name before. Did you say his brother?"

"Yes," the sixteen-year-old nodded "Niklaus and Elijah. Do you know of them?"

"Of course," the God of the Underworld groaned, rubbing at his forehead. His daughter had the worst luck sometimes… The Originals? Out of all the vampires, she had to run into them "Mikaelson."

Persephone gasped "You mean that Zara met two of the oldest vampires? The Originals?"

"Exactly," Hades nodded and turned to his daughter "I want you to try and stay away from them. While they shouldn't be able to harm you considering you're my daughter, I don't want to take that chance."

Zara blinked in confusion "Who are the Originals?"

"The first vampires," her father explained patiently "As far as I know their mother did a ritual that turned them into vampires not quite five centuries ago. You would be better off to ask Hecate though. They fall in her jurisdiction considering their mother was a witch."

"I don't think that they will bother me enough," Zara murmured "But if I ever need to know more, I'll ask her. Thank you, father, Persephone."

Persephone smiled at the girl "Do you need to go now?"

"I should. I don't know how long Katerina is going to be gone and I don't want to take the chance get lectured… again." What she didn't tell them was that sometimes Katerina did worse things than lecturing her. It didn't happen often but on some occasions, the older Petrova raised her hand. Compared to what her stepfather did, it was nothing but it still hurt.

The two deities watched the girl leave with frowns on their faces. Zara was way too kind-hearted for her own good. She could have gotten her half-sister to leave her alone a long time ago but for some reason, she kept hoping that Katerina would see that she was wrong. Neither Hades nor Persephone were optimistic about that happening. They were prepared to pick up the pieces in the end… No matter how hard it would be "I don't like this," Persephone sighed, leaning against her husband's taller frame.

Hades shook his head "Neither do I, dear but she has to make her own mistakes. The only thing we can do is to support her."

"Even if she decides to get closer to the vampire?"

"You feel like that's going to happen?" Hades questioned.

The Goddess of springtime nodded "I feel like there is a chance. Zara said that they were interested in Katerina… Let's just wait and see though. Maybe I'm wrong."

Hades looked up at the ceiling "I really hope that you are."


	2. 1492: Getting to Know Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I originally didn't want to post this chapter till next week but your response to the story literally blew me away. Holy shit, guys… Thank you so much.
> 
> The other updates will most likely come slower since I have to research a lot and stuff but this one I had already written up…
> 
> The way it looks at the moment it's going to be a Kol/Zara/Klaus story since most of you voted for that. I feel obliged to tell you a little more about it. The way I have it planned it will take a while until all three of them will get together. I don't want to spoil too much, so that's about it. Kol and Zara will get together earlier… Let's see how that works out.
> 
> So, one of you said that she shouldn't let Katerina push her around cause she's a demigod and stronger. I just wanted to kinda explain that a little. It'll get better… I don't really know what else to say. Zara just doesn't want the conflict at the moment, so she shrugs off Katerina's behaviour. Won't be for too much longer though.
> 
> Sorry for the huge ass note…
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Nick

 

" **Where have you been?** " Katerina snarled when Zara walked through the door to the room they shared. The two of them had come to England with nothing and after days of staying out on the streets, a kind woman had taken them in. She was old and needed help with chores around the house – not that Katerina did any of them. Zara, on the other hand, tried to help as much as she could, often taking over duties that she didn't need to do.

Zara flinched in surprise. She hadn't expected her sister to be home already, not after the way that Lord was looking at her… " **At the party,** " she told Katerina quietly.

The older girl scoffed " **Oh really? Then why did Elijah come back on his own?** "

" **Does it matter?** " Zara questioned. There was no way she would tell Katerina the truth about knowing who her father was. Maybe she should just leave and find somewhere else to live… Away from here. But where would she go? Katerina was the only person she knew apart from Mrs Farley and she wasn't into socializing either. Also, every time she went outside, the chance that men would notice her grew. Especially with Katerina dragging her along to events that they had no place being in. Zara didn't care that they had been invited by Trevor or how those other two vampires reacted – the Originals? Maybe she would have to talk to Lady Hecate regardless of whether she met them again.

" **You don't talk to me like that,** " Katerina hissed " **I am the elder, so you will respect me.** "

Zara snorted in disdain. Normally, she would try to avoid conflict but she was exhausted. She should have stayed at the palace and slept there but then the next morning would have been even worse " **Respect is earned and you have done nothing to make me respect you. Why would I? You're the person who flirts with every man you come across. That is not a person I would want to respect**."

Before she could blink, her head snapped to the side. Zara raised a hand to her stinging cheek and was surprised to feel it burn at her touch. She pulled back her fingers to glance at the blood " **I can do worse than a few cuts,** " Katerina threatened, storming out of the room.

The sixteen-year-old stared after her for a few moments, still not too sure what had happened a few moments ago. She sank down on her bed with a sigh, carefully probing the cuts that Katerina's nails left. A part of her felt the fear that came with being hurt by someone she should have been able to trust but the bigger part was just numb. Just when she thought her life was getting better. The only reason Zara followed Katerina to England was to get away from the abuse her stepfather inflicted on her… Now she felt stupid for thinking that Katerina would treat her differently just because the Petrova patriarch wasn't there anymore.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs Farley questioned, walking into the room after knocking.

"I'm fine," Zara whispered, trying to stop her voice from breaking. Her thoughts were revolving around the incident that happened as well as the beatings she had to endure over the course of her life. Couldn't she catch a break for once?

Mrs Farley smiled sadly, sitting down on the bed next to the kind young girl "You are crying," she pointed out gently, making to wipe away the tears that were falling down Zara's cheeks when she stopped "What happened?"

Zara ducked her head, making her hair fall into her face, covering her cheek from view "It's nothing, Mrs Farley. Please don't worry about me."

"Come with me," the older woman said, holding her hand out to the girl. Her husband had died shortly before the two girls came along, leaving her to take care of a house. Their children had all moved away long ago, so she had been grateful when Zara offered her help with everyday things. In the year since she had allowed the two sisters to stay with her, she noticed the massive difference between them. The oldest – Katerina – was… She didn't quite know how to describe her, to be honest. Zara, though… She was polite and helped the woman with everything she needed help with. On several occasions, Mrs Farley had awoken in the middle of the night, only to find Zara standing or sitting at one of the windows, deep in thought. She had a feeling that the child didn't have the best home life but had never been able to get the sixteen-year-old to talk about it. At first, Mrs Farley tried to get the girl to talk but when it didn't get her anything, she just brought her a blanket, leaving Zara to stare out into the night. "Sit."

Zara sat in the indicated chair with a puzzled look on her face. She started shaking her head when Mrs Farley set a bowl of water and a cloth on the table "No… I can do it myself."

"Nonsense, dear," the older woman chided "Now, look up."

* * *

 

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly Zara had more contact with the "Originals" than she originally thought in the days after the party. Two days after she met the Lords Niklaus and Elijah, she went to the market to pick up several things for Mrs Farley. They were running low on food, so it was time to get some more. She was using the money Hades had given her to provide for the older woman. After her husband died, Mrs Farley had aged rapidly. Her body didn't allow her to do many things, so Zara had taken to provide for her. She told Persephone about it in one of her visits and the Goddess of Springtime approved wholly, making sure that they would always have enough to provide for themselves. Mrs Farley had never asked where the money came from but Zara knew that she was curious.

When she was about to pay one of the farmers for the produce she needed, a voice behind her startled her "Miss Zara."

Zara whirled around and froze for a moment before she dropped into a curtsy "My lord." She blinked in surprise when the Original handed the farmer the money she owed him "I – You needn't… I can pay for it," she argued weakly, too stunned to protest too much.

"Nonsense. Let me. Where do you need these?" Lord Elijah questioned, stopping the Doppelgänger's sister from gathering the food, instead picked it up easily, waiting for her to show him the way.

When she saw that he wouldn't relent, Zara sighed quietly. So much for doing as her father asked "This way, my Lord." She lead him through the streets quietly, making sure to greet the men and woman she knew. During the walk, she was playing with the money she had in her hand. It felt wrong to take money from him – a stranger. Why would he even pay for her? Why was he talking to her in the first place? Wasn't it Katerina they were interested in? "We're here." She looked at him for a moment longer, debating whether to let him inside or not.

"I mean you no harm, Miss Zara," Elijah soothed the nervous girl. He honestly wasn't sure what he was doing. When he saw her at the market, he made an impulse decision. Maybe he could find out more about the Doppelgänger through her… Although he was more than curious about the quiet girl. There was an odd smell surrounding her and she didn't seem comfortable around the people of the party. Something was going on there and Elijah wanted to find out "I believe I have some business to take care off."

Zara wordlessly took the stuff from him. She still didn't know too much about vampires but she had decided to go to call Lady Hecate sometime after bringing the food back for Mrs Farley to make stew. When she held out the money for him to take, Elijah shook his head and opened his mouth. Zara didn't let him talk though "You didn't have to pay for me. I can take care of myself."

"It was my pleasure, Miss Zara," Elijah shook his head and smiled at the younger girl "If you'll excuse me?"

"Well…" she mumbled under her breath "Thank you, then. Have a nice day, Lord Elijah." With those words she turned, walking into the small house where Mrs Farley had already been waiting for her.

"You took longer than normal," she rushed out worriedly "Is everything alright?"

Zara smiled, carefully putting down the food on the table in the kitchen "Everything is alright, Mrs Farley. Someone I… met a few days back decided to lend me a hand."

"That is nice of them. A male someone?"

"Not like that," the daughter of Hades gaped, her cheeks flushed red.

* * *

 

Another two weeks later, Zara had given up. They had invited both her and Katerina to stay with them and while Katerina enjoyed spending time with both of the brothers, trying to get them to bed her, Zara stayed quiet. She preferred to spend time alone, away from people who would only criticize her for who she was. And not only because Katerina had warned her away either. After the sixteen-year-old saw the library they had, she knew that she would have to jump over her shadow and at least try to read. Her stepfather and Katerina always made fun of Zara for her lack of reading abilities… Normally, they wouldn't have needed to be able to read but their father wanted them to be sophisticated young women. Either that or he wanted to ensure that someone would take Zara off his hands as quickly as possible.

That was how the girl found herself curled in an armchair in front of the fire with a book on her lap. She had started it a few days after they moved into the huge mansion and she had barely gotten through one chapter. The story was interesting though… The book seemed to be some sort of journal.

"I ree... No, I ream... I – I remerb..." The sixteen-year-old broke off, tugging at her hair in frustration. She knew that she could read... Hades had taught her years ago but for some reason, it was hard to read anything but Ancient Greek. According to him and her Aunt Persephone, it was normal though. Every demigod had trouble reading and they didn't really know where that came from. Since Zara loved the written word though, she was determined to overcome the problem but it was proving difficult. The mockery she had faced from Katerina hadn't helped her confidence either, so she mostly tried to hide away whenever she attempted to read.

The girl was so concentrated that she didn't notice the Original who was standing in the doorway, watching her sound out words "Zara?" Elijah spoke up after another few moments of the struggle.

"My lord," she gasped, her head snapping up to meet the older Mikaelson's gaze before lowering her gaze quickly "I didn't know you were there. Sorry, did you want me to leave?"

Elijah shook his head, frowning at the formal address "No. It is alright... You're reading?"

"Yes," she nodded shyly.

"Are you enjoying the book?" the Original questioned. A quick glance at the title revealed that it was one of his journals. Most of them were in his private library but some – the ones that detailed his experiences with several historical events were in the main library.

Zara bit her lip nervously. She wasn't very comfortable talking to the man, even though he had been nothing but nice to her. There was the part of her that didn't understand why they would want her anywhere near her. The only people to really care for her were Hades and Persephone along with a few other deities she met over the years "Yes, Lord Elijah."

"You don't have to address me as Lord," he told her with a gentle smile "I'm mostly reserving that title for the stuffy nobility."

The girl was trying to unsuccessfully smother her laughter "They are a bit stuffy," she admitted quietly.

Elijah was looking at her with soft eyes. He enjoyed the young girl's company when she wasn't trying to be as quiet as possible. Ever since the two Petrovas moved in with Niklaus and him, he saw that Zara preferred to stick to the shadows while her sister was just… there. Elijah – against his better judgement – had fallen for the Doppelgänger but the sisters were just so different from each other. Niklaus had spoken to him earlier today and he hadn't seen the sixteen-year-old at all, not even for meals "There is something I wish to talk to you about," the Original said after a few minutes of silence in which the girl had turned back to mouthing the words slowly.

"About what?" Zara questioned curiously, closing the book with a gentle caress.

"You are aware that you may join us for meals, are you not?" Elijah tilted his head, holding the girl's gaze.

Zara shifted in her seat "Katerina has expressed her… reluctance to have me there. I don't mind… I can take care of myself. You have already allowed me to live here. I don't want you to spend any more of your money on me."

"You are welcome to join us. My family has more than enough money," the vampire pointed out "I doubt you could eat us out of a home."

"I couldn't," the sixteen-year-old shook her head, twisting her hands in the hem of her skirt "It's not right. I mean no disrespect but Katerina shouldn't have accepted either."

Elijah raised his eyebrow in surprise. The girl really was something else "May I ask why you think that?"

Zara bit her lip harshly, not sure whether she wanted to elaborate or not. She didn't care about speaking her mind. While she was often beaten for her opinion, it didn't stop her. This was different though. They wanted something from her sister and she really couldn't figure out what it was "You want something from her, right? I may not be aware of what but it's obvious that you recognized her at sight."

"You are a smart one, aren't you?" an amused voice sounded from the doorway.

The daughter of Hades shot up from where she was sitting when Niklaus strolled into the room "I shouldn't have said anything. Excuse me."

She tried to skirt around the man but his hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist tightly "Now, now, love. I can't have you telling Katerina about this."

"I have known since I met you," Zara snorted, her shy exterior falling off as she glared up at Klaus "If I had wanted to tell Katerina, I would have done so already."

The two vampires exchanged a look over the girl's head "Look at that, brother. The little kitten has claws," Klaus laughed in amusement "It is curious that you don't seem to like your sister…"

"Half-sister," Zara corrected "She's my half-sister." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the vampire stiffen and frowned up at him in confusion.

"That explains why the two of you don't look much alike," Elijah nodded.

 


	3. 1492: Father Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I said I wouldn't update this in a while… I lied. Not really since I want to finish Experience a New Life and Tribrid Salvatore before I continue with this… I had this already written up and I needed to do something to take my mind of the presentation I have tomorrow.
> 
> My apprenticeship is over after I successfully do the presentation and the question part after that (no clue what you call it). Anyway, I should have more time to write over the next few months, so I'll try to write as much as I can while also preparing for university.
> 
> Aaaaanyway… Thank you so much for all the Reviews. I appreciate the support. I don't know how long I'll stay in 1492 but maybe another two or three chapters… More if I get some more ideas.
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Nick

Zara was standing at the open window, watching her sister with Elijah. Over the past few days, the brothers have decided to include her more. She wasn't quite sure whether she liked it or whether she was uncomfortable with the attention she was getting. It wasn't anything like the attention the two vampires gave her sister but Zara didn't want that in any case. Katerina hadn't been happy once she noticed what was going on and she confronted her sister after the first time it happened.

_Flashback_

" _Ah, it seems as if our other houseguest is joining us tonight," Klaus proclaimed, seeing Elijah walk in with a reluctant Zara in tow "Don't be shy, kitten."_

_Zara glared at him "Stop calling me that."_

" _There she is," the younger of the brothers smirked._

_Elijah sighed, pulling a chair out for the young girl to sit "Behave, Niklaus."_

_"What are you doing here, Zara?" Katerina questioned with forced politeness._

_The sixteen-year-old shifted "I –"_

" _I invited Miss Zara to join us tonight," Elijah cut in smoothly._

_Katerina smiled at the older Original, while Zara grimaced lightly, leaning back against the back of the chair. She was somewhat uncomfortable with the people in the room. Not necessarily the vampires but her sister. Katerina was getting meaner towards the other girl and Zara was slowly getting fed up. Normally she would just ignore the pettiness but it was getting hard. The demigod was almost at the end of her rope and incidents like these weren't helping. If Katerina didn't stop soon, the daughter of Hades couldn't be held responsible for anything she'd do._

_End Flashback_

"You have to chase me," Katerina exclaimed laughing and when Elijah stopped behind her, she rolled her eyes "You're meant to catch me."

"But if I catch you, the game will be over," the Original pointed out.

Katerina smiled at the man "Thank you for entertaining me."

"You looked lonely inside," Elijah murmured "So I took pity on you."

The older Petrova sat down on a stone bench "Klaus promised to spend the day with me but he never returned home from the night."

"Yes," Elijah agreed "Klaus does not live by any rules but his own."

"He is a very charming man," Katerina shrugged "Hard for anyone to resist, I suppose."

From her place at the window, Zara saw the Original's shoulders tense "And yet…"

"I know not why he courts me," the older Petrova girl admitted "He seems to not care about me at all."

"She's right," a voice from behind the demigod made her whirl around in shock.

Zara blinked at the young man in front of her. He seemed to be a few years older than her but also had the same feeling about him that Niklaus and Elijah had. He looked a lot like Elijah with his brown hair and the brown eyes but there was something different about him. While Elijah had an air of calmness surrounding him most of the time, this man was the exact opposite. She lowered her head and shifted to look at the ground. Just because she was somewhat comfortable with Elijah, didn't mean that she wasn't wary of strangers "Who are you?"

"My name is Kol, darling," he grinned charmingly "Kol Mikaelson." When the girl didn't reply, just continued looking out of the window, he frowned "You know, when one tells you their name, you tell them yours. It's the polite thing to do."

"Zara," the daughter of Hades mumbled, stiffening when the vampire got closer to her.

Kol's expression lightened up "Ah. You're the Doppelgänger's sister."

"Doppelgänger?" Zara frowned in confusion. She had tried to find out what Niklaus' interest in Katerina was but so far she only hit dead ends "So that's what… Hm."

In the gardens, Elijah shifted. He could hear his youngest brother talking to Zara. A part of him wanted to go in there and get Kol away from the girl. Instead, he focussed his attention on Katerina "Do you have more with Trevor?"

"Trevor believes that he loves me," Katerina murmured "But true love is not real unless it's returned. Do you agree?"

"I do not believe in love, Katerina."

"Bullshit," Kol scoffed, making Zara turn to look at him again.

The sixteen-year-old rolled her eyes and stepped back to close the window. She heard enough… Katerina was toying with both vampires and they were toying with her. The saddest thing was that neither Katerina nor Elijah noticed what the other was doing "I'd have to agree," Zara mumbled "Do you know what that's all about?"

The youngest Mikaelson brother smirked "I don't think I'll tell you."

"Of course not," the sixteen-year-old grumbled "She's going to die… Isn't she?"

Kol tilted his head at the matter-of-fact tone the girl in front of him had. He wasn't particularly close to his siblings anymore but he still cared about them whether he wanted or not "Most likely, yes."

"Hm," Zara nodded "Good riddance." She stopped when she realized what she said and to who "I should go…"

Kol caught her arm when she was about to walk past him "Not so fast, darling." As soon as her scent reached his nose, he blinked "What are you?"

"I don't think I'll tell you," Zara teased, using Kol's earlier words against him.

The Original gaped at the younger girl in surprise. He would have thought that she was as shy as she first acted but this girl was something else. Kol could definitely understand why his older brothers were intrigued by her. They must have noticed that she wasn't human… "You are something else, aren't you?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," the daughter of Hades murmured, tugging at her arm. Once she finally released her, she curtsied "Lord Kol." The minute she reached the corridor, she looked around, trying to see whether he had followed her or not. Since she could still feel him at the far end of the library, she quickly disappeared into the shadows, reappearing in the empty library where she grabbed the book she was reading.

* * *

 

"So," Klaus stated, leaning against the table next to where Zara was sitting. Normally, he would have been sniffing around her sister but for some reason, he seemed to be more interested in the sixteen-year-old at the moment. She was just glad that Kol was nowhere to be seen. The older boy was more interested in Zara than her sister… After she met him, he didn't stop trying to talk to her about anything and everything. He always found a reason to spend time with Zara. Something the girl wasn't accustomed to at all. The daughter of Hades wasn't really sure what to think about it "Which God do you believe in? You are Pagan, I assume?"

Zara frowned up at him, putting down the book she was attempting to read. Elijah had started to help her with her reading after she tried to explain what the problem was but she wasn't getting a lot better at it. Some but not much "Excuse me?"

"I saw you burning food on several occasions when you thought no one was looking. That's definitely not Christian and I know that dear Katerina is," he pointed out.

"You'd know," Zara scoffed "What did you believe in when you were human, hm? I'm guessing you were… Vikings?"

Before she could blink, a hand had closed around her throat, slamming her against the wall "How did you find out? Did you tell Katerina?"

"Why?" Zara taunted "Do you not want my sister to know about your habit of sucking blood?" She groaned when he slammed her back again "Alright, alright… I'd be stupid not to recognize vampires. After all, you're creatures of Death and if I know one thing… it's Death. If you could unhand me now?"

Klaus didn't move though, instead, he tightened his hand some more "Not until you tell me what I want to know. How do you know about us and who are you worshipping?"

Zara closed my eyes for a moment and licked her dry lips "Lord Hades. To both of your questions."

"The Lord of the Underworld?" the vampire blinked in surprise "Why in the world would you worship him of all Gods?"

"No reason," the sixteen-year-old lied. The lie was so obvious that she winced. It wasn't a surprise when Klaus growled, restricting the girl's breathing even more than he already was.

"I can kill you right now, Zara."

Zara grimaced "But then Katerina would ask questions. One way or another I don't owe you anything and certainly not an explanation."

"Niklaus," Elijah called out from behind, his voice startling both of them "What are you doing?" Klaus rolled his eyes at the girl and she couldn't quite hold back the snort when she was finally released. Sometimes Zara wished that Katerina and she could have a better relationship but her stepfather always made it clear that she was a bastard, the result of his wife's affair. What he didn't know – what Zara's mother didn't know – was that her father was none other than Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Despite what people thought about her father, he was caring and as soon as he found out what happened to his daughter, he helped as much as he was able to. Even Lady Persephone who was known for hating her husband's demigod children took a shine to the child. She didn't care for the attempts of anyone trying to appease her but when Hades expressed an interest in helping his daughter, she became more of a mother to the girl than her own birth mother "We need to talk, brother," Elijah continued with a short glance to Zara "Alone."

She was about to squeeze past the vampire but stopped when she was next to him "Demigod," she breathed into Klaus' ear. His head snapped around to her, his eyes mirroring his shock. The sixteen-year-old smirked, tilting her head in confirmation before walking out.

"So you're a demigod?" Kol spoke up, leaning against the wall opposite of the library "A daughter of…?"

Zara raised her eyebrow "Why would I tell you? What does it matter who my father is?"

"Touché," Kol laughed, holding out his arm "Would you like to accompany me to town?"

The daughter of Hades hesitated. She had wanted to visit Mrs Farley to help the woman with some things but she wasn't sure whether she wanted a vampire to tag along "I –"

"I'm not going to take no for an answer," the vampire cut her off "So don't bother trying, darling."

"Fine," Zara sighed, her shoulders slumping "But there's something I have to do…"

Kol handed her the black cloak the girl had before holding out his arm again "And what is that?"

"I – When Katerina and I came to England, we were homeless. A very kind old woman took us in. I want to see whether she needed help with anything," the demigod shrugged "I feel bad for not being able to see her these past few days."

"You don't like your sister, do you?"

Zara looked at the ground, trying to come up with an appropriate answer "She has always been treated differently by our parents. Maybe I just resent her for being the favourite but I can't even pretend to like her attitude."

Kol pulled the girl to a halt "What do you mean?"

"Hm?"

"You said something about her attitude," the Original pointed out.

The sixteen-year-old shrugged "Katerina has always enjoyed playing with the feelings of men. Your brothers are no different. The three of them are playing each other and I'm not sure what I should feel about it."

Kol tilted his head "You mean to say that Nik is playing Katerina because he needs her, Katerina is playing… Who?"

"Klaus is playing my sister, Katerina is playing Elijah because she is giving him hope. I'm not blind. I see how he looks at her… While normally I would mind my own business, I know Katerina. She is not the girl he thinks she is," Zara licked her lips for a moment before she continued "And Elijah is the one who desperately tries to help his brother – for a reason I do not know, while also trying to save my sister. Have I forgotten anything?"

"I'm surprised," the youngest Mikaelson brother spoke up "I would have never expected you to notice this much."

Zara averted her eyes again, picking at the hem of her cloak "I learned to be observant. I had to, otherwise, I would have been dead a long time ago. Both because of my so-called father and because of the monsters."

"Monsters… Oh, right." Realization flooded the vampire's eyes "We do not know a lot about demigods but from what I have figured out it is a hard life. Is it not?"

"In this time," the daughter of Hades started "It is. My mother got pregnant by a wealthy stranger… Her husband was less than pleased, especially since the whole village knew about the affair. It's another reason why I left with Katerina. Everyone knew that I was a… a bastard."

Kol looked down at the girl, seeing how much it hurt her to talk about it. She must have had a similar childhood to Nik… The way she reacted to certain things and the fact that she didn't speak fondly of her family told him a lot "It must have been hard for you to grow up as you did. Are you in contact with your Godly parent?"

A smile stole its way across the blonde girl's features "Yes. My father has taken care of me ever since I met him and his wife when I was five-years-old…"

"May I ask how you met him?"

"My… Katerina's father hurt me. He hurt me and I wished that I would be somewhere safe, somewhere far away from the man who was causing me so much pain. Long story short, I appeared in my father's palace and he came to accept me relatively quickly. At first, he was scared about what his wife would say but once she saw the bruises, she just asked what I was doing on the floor. She's an amazing woman though and more like a mother to me than my own."

Kol smiled lightly, hearing the fondness in the younger girl's tone "I noticed that you never say their names. Why not?"

"Why would I tell you who they are? You're not telling me anything," Zara hummed, knocking on the door to Mrs Farley's house.

It took a few moments for the door to open and Mrs Farley to appear "Oh, Zara," she gasped in excitement "How are you doing, dear?"

"I'm alright, Mrs Farley," the daughter of Hades grinned.

"What happened to your neck?" the older woman questioned, reaching out to tilt the sixteen-year-old's chin up.

Zara frowned "My neck?"

"You have a bruise on your neck," Kol pointed out from behind.

"And you didn't think to tell me that?" Zara grumbled, throwing a glare at the vampire "Don't worry, Mrs Farley… You know that I bruise easily." It was a lie but the older woman didn't need to know that. Klaus had a pretty tight grip on her neck earlier.

Mrs Farley raised her eyebrow at the girl, not believing a word she was saying. After all, the woman had taken care of several injuries that Katerina had inflicted. The older woman knew that pressing the matter wouldn't get her anywhere "Who is your friend?"

"That's Kol. A… friend," Zara sighed, looking up at the vampire "I think."

Kol deadpanned "You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

The demigod shook her head and looked back to Mrs Farley "Do you need help with anything?"

Two hours later, Zara was finished with the chores, the Original having escaped as soon as he got bored. Kol had made Zara promise to meet up once she was done. The sixteen-year-old couldn't even argue before he vanished.

"Thank you, dear," Mrs Farley sighed, sitting down on one of the chairs in her kitchen "I don't know what I would have done without you."

The daughter of Hades placed her hands on the older woman's shoulders "I'll find someone to help you. I don't know how but I'll find someone."

"You don't have to, Zara," Mrs Farley argued "I will get by."

Zara hummed "Alright, but if you need anything at all. Send someone to find me."

"I will," the older woman promised, hugging the sixteen-year-old close "Now run along. I'm sure your friend is waiting for you."

"He really is just a friend," the daughter of Hades rolled her eyes.

Mrs Farley chuckled in fond amusement. The way this Kol looked at the girl suggested differently but she didn't speak up. It was something that Zara had to figure out for herself "If you say so, dear."

Zara shook her head "I should get going."

"Thank you again for the help." Mrs Farley patted the girl on the arm when she was walking past "Take care of yourself."

"You too, Mrs Farley," the demigod waved, leaving the house. Zara walked back in the direction of the Mikaelson's home, occasionally looking back at Mrs Farley's house. Halfway to the meeting point, Zara heard a loud growl coming from the trees beside her. She stiffened and closed her hand around the pendant she had around her neck. The demigod crouched down, a black sword appearing in her hand "Come on, then," she called out, her eyes darting around the forest line. A monster stepped out of the shadows. At first glance, it looked like a lion but then the rest of its body came into view. It was only the head that was lion-y with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat and a serpent tail with a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of it. Zara exhaled shakily "Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" The Chimera growled at the demigod in front of it "What did I do now?" She was kind of used to getting attacked by monsters but it still didn't make it better. It seemed that Lord Zeus really had something against the daughter of Hades since most of the monsters were associated with him instead of Poseidon's. Zara dodged the Chimera's lunge, raising the sword again. Not that it would do her much good at the moment. She had to get close enough which would be a task in itself.

"Zara?" Kol called from further up the path.

The daughter of Hades faltered for a moment, allowing the Chimera to graze her with the fire it spewed. Zara hissed "Leave, Kol."

"I'm not leaving you with this thing," the Original told her "What is it anyway?"

"Chimera." She got close enough to slash at the monster, getting it in its side. The black blade was one of the few that could injure most monsters and even Gods since the metal was made from the abyss of Tartarus. Zara had gotten it from Thanatos several years ago.

The monster howled in pain, snapping its jaw at the demigod, ripping into her leg. Kol appeared by her side pulling her back a second too late "What do I do?" the Original asked, shoving the daughter of Hades behind him.

Zara groaned, her leg giving out on her "Stab it. Head or mouth," she gasped, holding out her sword to the vampire "Careful. Poison in teeth." It was then that the world blurred in front of her eyes. She heard Kol charging at the Chimera, the short battle and the howl of the monster before everything was silent.

"Come on, darling," the vampire murmured, kneeling down behind the girl. He pressed his wrist to her mouth, hoping that his blood would heal her "That's it."

"Thank you," the sixteen-year-old breathed "'M out of practice… Haven't been attacked in a while."

Kol laughed lightly "Well, then maybe you will do me the honours of practising with you?"

"You know what? I just might." Zara leaned against the vampire's chest tiredly, tracing her eyes along the floor "There's something there…"

"What?"

The demigod pointed at a tooth necklace that was lying on the ground "Spoils from the kill. Monsters usually leave something… Depends on the monster. You can keep it."

"I can?" Kol asked, reaching out for the fang. As soon as he touched it, he could feel the excess magic in it. It made him feel like he still had his magic to some extent… "Thank you."

"You're the one who saved me," the demigod murmured, smiling up at the vampire.

Kol lifted the chord over his head and hefted the girl into his arms, carrying her up the path to the house "Will you tell me who your parent is now?"

"Hades," Zara sighed "My father is Hades."

"The Lord of the Dead?" Kol blinked in surprise "You know, that explains a lot. How you knew what we are, how you're not afraid and why you're so comfortable in our presence."

"Hm," the demigod hummed, leaning her head against the vampire's shoulder. She was exhausted and the pain from the healing wounds didn't help the matter either.


	4. 1492: Demigod Diaries

Elijah was there when Kol came back, carrying the unconscious girl with him "Zara," the older Original breathed, appearing at his youngest brother's side immediately "What did you do, Kol?"

"Why do you automatically assume that I did something?" Kol exclaimed, shifting the girl in his arms. He wasn't sure whether she just fell asleep or whether she passed out. From the tiredness she had shown earlier, he would guess that she was merely asleep "She was attacked, Elijah."

"Attacked," Elijah deadpanned before a look of realization crossed his face "She's a demigod. I had forgotten about that little fact."

Kol huffed "If you're done accusing me of hurting people… I think it would be a good thing to get her to a bed."

"Yes, yes," the older of the two nodded "Go." He wanted to apologize to Kol for jumping to conclusions but he didn't know how. The younger Original had always been a wildcard. No one knew what he would do next. It was because of that, he wasn't sure what to think about Kol being as close to Zara as he was. Despite what the girl had undoubtedly been through over the course of her life, she was innocent. Elijah shook his head. Kol wouldn't hurt her. He just had to hope for the best and if anything happened, he would have to clean up the mess.

Upstairs, Kol had carefully put down Zara on the bed of her room. The vampire brushed a strand of her hair out of the girl's face with a small smile. He hadn't known her for long – a few weeks at most but in that time he had seen the kind of person she was. Even before he found out that she was a demigod and the daughter of Hades of all people, Kol knew that she was special. While most girls would have tried to flirt with him or his brothers to get their money, she argued about everything. He heard that she even argued about eating their food, that she could buy her own and that they shouldn't waste money on her. Compared to that, her sister was a real bitch. The only times Kol interacted with Katerina were meal times and even there, he tried to ignore her. She reminded him too much of Tatia who was the exact same.

"Kol?" a small voice stopped him from leaving the room. The Original turned to look back at the bed where Zara was fighting to sit up "Thank you. Without you there… I don't know what would have happened."

"It was my pleasure," Kol smiled "It wouldn't do for a pretty lady to die, would it?"

Zara laughed a little "Indeed not."

The two were silent for a moment before Kol continued "Do you plan on telling my brothers about your father?"

"I don't know," the daughter of Hades bit her lip "Not yet. I don't want to be defined by how my father is." She threw a quick look at Kol before lowering her eyes.

The vampire sat down at the end of her bed "I am not going to treat you any differently now," he pointed out "Sure, your father is a powerful man but I hope that you would stand up for me should I ever get on his bad side."

Zara's expression lightened up "I believe every man around me is on his bad side by default," she teased, leaning back against the headboard.

"I'm sure you have loads of good stories to tell, right?" Kol questioned curiously.

"Maybe," the daughter of Hades nodded "I met a few deities, had some weird babysitters and almost died a few times."

The Original raised his eyebrow "Tell me more. Only if you want to, of course."

"Sure," Zara shrugged "I haven't told anyone about this before."

_Flashback_

_Zara was six the first time she got lost in the Underworld. The first year of her visiting her father, she had stayed close to him and her Aunt Persephone. They had always made time for her when she came here but as soon as the girl's visits became more frequent, the Underworld got busier and as a result, Hades and Persephone didn't have as much time to spend with Zara as they wanted._

_The daughter of Hades had been walking around for what felt like hours when she crashed into something. The little girl had been looking around, not noticing when someone stepped into her path "Sorry," she whispered immediately, curling up into a small ball. While her father had promised that no one would harm her, she was scared of strangers. The man she crashed into was tall, taller even than her stepfather and he had huge black wings._

_Thanatos, the Lieutenant of Hades looked down in confusion when he felt something hitting his legs. He heard about the young daughter of Hades coming to visit on occasion but the Lord of the Underworld had kept her from going out of the palace much. Thanatos had heard a lot about her from Persephone and the grapevine… The gossip in the Underworld was surprisingly accurate when it came to everything to do with their Lord. Whatever he had expected of the girl though, this wasn't it "Hello, little one," he smiled, crouching down in front of the scared-looking girl. He had to deal with many scared children before. After the poverty hit, there were many children dying and he had been trying to make it as easy for them as possible. It required knowledge of how to speak to them "You don't have to be scared. I won't harm you."_

_Zara tilted her head at him with narrowed eyes, as if she was debating whether to trust the man or not "You have wings," she blurted out suddenly._

_The daughter of Hades blushed when the man started laughing a rich, deep laugh "I do, yes. Here." Thanatos stretched his wings in the direction of the small child. Normally he wouldn't allow anyone to touch his wings but the God would do everything to get this little one to trust him. Not only was she bound to be around often but he respected her father a lot. Hades was a good friend to his mother and the older God always respected Thanatos for who he was. Others had feared the winged God but Hades… He never judged him for anything but what he did "You may touch them if you wish."_

_The six-year-old raised her hand hesitatingly before pulling it back "Who are you?"_

" _My name is Thanatos, child," the Lieutenant said "And you must be Zara, correct? Your father has spoken about you a lot."_

" _He did?" The expression on her face almost broke his heart. She looked so hopeful, so… doubting. Whoever hurt this girl would die painfully._

_Thanatos nodded "Of course. Both him and Persephone have spoken of you fondly." He glanced around, noticing where they were for the first time. They were close to Tartarus. Not the right place for a child by far "Zara? What are you doing down here?"_

" _I got lost," she whispered, peaking up at the God's face. One of her hands lifted again, reaching for the wings closest to her. She was still scared but he seemed nice and he knew about her. That had to count for something, right? The people in the village knew about her but they weren't very nice. Her face lit up when she felt the softness of the feathers._

" _How about I bring you back to your father, hm? I'm sure he is worried about you," Thanatos offered, holding out his arms. The girl stared at him again, her hand stilling on his wing before she finally moved closer to him. Zara was still unsure about what to do with the man but she was willing to trust him purely because he spoke fondly of her father. As soon as she was close enough, Thanatos lifted her into his arms and stood up. In addition to his arms, he kept one of his wings curled around her. The feathers seemed to make her happy as she tangled her small hand in the appendage, careful of not hurting him._

_At the palace, Persephone was already waiting for him "You found her," she breathed in relief "I was about to go and look for her."_

" _She said she got lost," Thanatos pointed out, handing over the small child without hesitation. He reached out to tilt up her head "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zara. Thank you for keeping me company."_

_The six-year-old blushed, hiding her face in Persephone's neck. The Goddess of Springtime smiled at their interaction "Thank you for bringing her here, Thanatos. I believe this incident showed that we need to find someone to watch her when we're busy."_

" _If you ever need help, I would be happy to look after her for a while," the God offered "She is a sweet kid. Very unlike her father." The last part was said with a teasing glint in his eyes. Thanatos had felt Hades approach and couldn't help but annoy the older God a little._

_End Flashback_

"What is Tartarus again?" Kol questioned, his brow furrowed.

Zara hesitated "Well, Tartarus is the deepest, darkest area of Hades' realm. The Gods imprison their enemies in there. It's also where Kronos is currently residing."

"He was chopped up, right?"

"Yup," the daughter of Hades nodded "And I really hope that he'll stay in there. It would be more than annoying to have to deal with him. Although… I would rather deal with Kronos than any of the other Titans or Primordials."

Kol tilted his head "Why?"

"The only Primordial I met is Nyx. She's Thanatos mother and one of the better ones. Plus, there are the game nights that my father doesn't want me to know about."

"What kind of games?" the Original questioned.

Zara shook her head "Erm… It doesn't matter. Hey, do you wanna hear about my first babysitters?"

"Who?"

"The Furies," the sixteen-year-old smirked.

Kol blinked "Why did I ask again?"

_Flashback_

" _Lord Hades, are you certain?" Alecto questioned, looking at the girl in her Lord's arms. She wasn't quite sure what she should think of having to babysit the daughter of Hades. She heard stories about the child – Who hadn't but that didn't mean that she knew what to do with the child. Her sisters weren't any better. They were torturers, not childminders._

" _Of course, I'm certain," the Lord of the Underworld sighed "Persephone and I have too much to do, to look after Zara. The last time she wandered off, she ended up being found by Thanatos. I need you to make sure she doesn't get hurt. You only have to keep an eye on her."_

_Alecto hesitated for a moment before she sighed in defeat. She would do as her Lord asked but that didn't mean that she had to be happy about it "If that's your wish."_

_Hades inclined his head "Thank you, Alecto. It means a lot to me. You may stay in the palace or you could show Zara the Underworld. I'm sure there's a lot she hasn't seen before."_

" _Could we?" Zara perked up, looking at the Fury with wide, pleading eyes. In the time she has spent in the Underworld, the girl had become somewhat desensitised to the weird creatures she occasionally saw. As long as her father said they were trustworthy, she could get along with anyone. The Fury had large leathery wings that didn't look as nice as Thanatos' but they were wings, so it was fine in the six-year-old's mind._

_Glowing red eyes drilled into Zara's black ones before Alecto nodded, her face showing her displeasure "Come along then," Alecto called, flying out of the room._

_Hades placed Zara down, watching her scramble after one of his torturers. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea… He could have asked Thanatos or Charon to look after her but he trusted the three sisters. They wouldn't let anyone harm his child… Even if Alecto hadn't looked pleased to be stuck with the blonde child._

_Outside, the daughter of Hades caught up with Alecto, grabbing her hand. The Fury blinked down at the girl and shook her hand out of the girl's. Just because she was doing this didn't mean that she had to hold hands._

_An hour and a half later, Zara and Alecto reached Cerberus. The huge three-headed dog panted happily and even crouched down to have the daughter of Hades pet him. After watching Zara play with Cerberus for a few moments, Alecto called for her to come along, starting to walk back towards the palace. Her time with the girl was over and she had to get her back to her father._

_What the Fury didn't know though, was that the six-year-old didn't notice her leaving, so she continued playing with the three-headed dog._

" _Alecto," Megaera called, walking up to her sister with a smile. She stopped, looking around in confusion "I thought you were supposed to look after Hades' child?"_

_Alecto tilted her head "What are you talking about? She's…" She looked around and panicked when she didn't see the girl anywhere "What? She was right there."_

" _Did you lose our Master's child, Alecto?" Tisiphone grinned at her sister._

" _Just help me find her, will you?" the head Fury hissed, glaring at her sisters._

_The three hurried through the Underworld, trying to seem as if they weren't running around like headless chicken. If their Lord found out about this… It took the Furies half an hour to reach Cerberus and when they did, Megaera couldn't stop cooing. Zara was asleep with Cerberus curled around her._

_End Flashback_

Zara couldn't help but laugh at the memory "I was told about this later on. Apparently, it was amusing to see the big bad torturers of Hades running around, looking for a little kid."

Kol snorted at the mental picture "And you were with Cerberus?"

"He's cute," the girl smiled "I love playing with him… Plus, I think he likes me more than my father."

"You're going to have to introduce me one of these days," the Original hummed "I was always interested in seeing a Cerberus."

"Maybe I can arrange something," the daughter of Hades nodded "But not for a while yet."

Kol nodded "I have to admit. For someone as young as you are, you have some pretty cool stories."

Zara shrugged "I also saved Hermes from becoming Cerberus' chew toy."

"How…?"

_Flashback_

_Cerberus froze, stopping his pursuit of the idiot who stole his toy. His favourite was here. He could smell her coming closer. The huge dog started panting, wagging its tail happily._

_The messenger of the Gods frowned in confusion and more than a little relief when the three-headed dog laid off him "Well," he shrugged "I'm certainly not complaining."_

" _About what?" a voice asked from behind._

_Hermes whirled around in shock, blinking down at the young girl in front of him. She couldn't be older than ten at most and there was no doubt that she was still alive "Who are you?"_

" _Zara," she replied, walking over to Cerberus._

" _Er… Maybe you shouldn't do that," the God pointed out nervously._

_The daughter of Hades smirked at him, reaching up to scratch the middle head "Why not? He seems to like it."_

" _How? What?"_

_An amused voice sounded from the shadows "Are you having fun with my nephew, Zara?" Hades questioned, shaking his head at his daughter's antics._

" _Maybe," she replied innocently "What are you doing here, father?"_

_Hermes let out a strangled sound "Father?" he parroted._

_Hades raised his eyebrow at the messenger before placing his hand on the girl's shoulder "Your Aunt Persephone is looking for you. She said she wanted to show you something."_

" _Really?" Zara brightened up "Does that mean she finished it?"_

" _I believe so, dear one. Go on… Don't leave her waiting," the Lord of the Underworld urged, shooing his daughter towards the palace. He had no idea what the two girls were up to and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to know. The expression on his wife's face alone was something to be careful of._

_Hermes cleared his throat, catching his uncle's attention "You mean to tell me that Persephone knows about your daughter and she's still alive? How did that happen?"_

" _It's a rather complicated story," Hades hedged. He had no intention of telling his nephew about Zara's stepfather and how she was treated at home. It was none of his business "What happened here?"_

" _Oh," the messenger blushed "I think I angered Cerberus. He was chasing me around and then he just stopped."_

_The ruler of the Underworld nodded "He probably smelled Zara coming. I swear those two are more trouble than their worth. The number of times I nearly had a heart attack when she was riding on his back…"_

_End Flashback_

Kol was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes "How do you know about their conversation?"

"I was spying on them," the daughter of Hades shrugged "Father probably knew I was there but… I wasn't sure what to think of Hermes at first. He was different from the Gods of the Underworld. Something I hadn't seen before."

"Have you seen him since?" the vampire questioned. By now, he was leaning against the headboard next to the demigod, keeping his distance.

Zara nodded "A few times. He taught me a few pranks he used to pull on Apollo."

"A God taught you how to prank?" Kol gaped "You'll have to show me."

"I don't know," the demigod murmured "It's a bit… out there."

Kol sighed, slumping back down "Fine."

* * *

In the days after Zara was attacked by the Chimera, she tried to avoid being alone with Klaus as much as she could. The first time he cornered her, he wanted to find out who her father was by trying to compel her. Needless to say, it didn't work and he was determined to find out. Elijah, on the other hand, wasn't as persistent. While he was interested in her Godly parent, he understood her need to keep it to herself.

"What's this word?" Elijah questioned the sixteen-year-old, pointing to the page of the book that was lying on the table in front of them.

Zara rubbed at her head, blinking at the page in frustration "I don't know," she mumbled "The letters don't make sense."

The Original hummed "Tell me which letters you see in the word."

"Vliiago," she shrugged, trying to place the word. It just didn't make any sense to her.

Elijah tilted his head to the side and pulled a piece of parchment and a quill towards them. He wrote out the word 'village' once in his handwriting and once where the letters were a bit further apart "How about now?"

"W – Villago… No, village?" Zara questioned, looking up at the Original. Her head was starting to hurt and she was getting a bit annoyed. That's why she preferred to read the texts that Persephone gave her on occasion. At least they were in Ancient Greek.

"Correct. Can you describe the difference between the one on top and the one at the bottom?"

The demigod looked back at the parchment and pointed at the word on top "It moves. Like… the letters won't stay still. They constantly change around, so I can't really see which ones they are?"

The vampire nodded in contemplation. He had never heard of that before but it seemed to be annoying Zara a lot. From what he had seen she enjoyed reading but doing so frustrates her. It's one of the reasons why he had taken the time to work with her. Maybe he could find out a way to help her "And the bottom?"

"It was a guess," she sighed "It's a bit clearer cause the letters are apart but there's still some movement. I don't understand why it's so hard to read and write… There's no problem with Ancient Greeks. See?" She took the quill from him and wrote out her name without a hint of hesitation "According to my father it's normal for demigods but I don't understand it."

* * *

The daughter of Hades was on her way back from visiting Mrs Farley when she heard her name being called. She still hadn't found someone she would readily entrust the care of the older woman, so for the time being Zara would go to her every few days to check in and see whether she needed something.

"Zara," Klaus called, stopping in front of her "Could we talk?"

The sixteen-year-old raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder at the figure of her older sister. Katerina was glaring at Zara for taking Klaus' attention away from her. It wasn't as if she wanted him to talk to her… She would prefer him to stay away "There is something…"

"Zara." Kol stepped out of the treeline, looking at the demigod excitedly "I found a place to train."

"Really?" Zara questioned, turning her attention to Kol completely.

The younger Mikaelson nodded, grabbing her arm "Come on, I'll show you." With that he started pulling her away, leaving Klaus behind. The Hybrid stared after them with a baffled expression on his face. He knew they had gotten closer but this? No matter, he would get his chance to talk to the girl and she would tell him about her parent one way or another. Despite the way he acted, he actually started to care for her. Klaus shook his head and walked back to Katerina, offering his arm with a charming smile and an apology. The older of the sisters was clueless to his plan and while Zara didn't know the details, she noticed that he had planned something. All the more reason to spend some more time with her. The girl was sharp, something he admired greatly.


	5. 1492: Of Sisters and Shocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others and I'm sorry about that but the next one should be longer again (going from the content). It's going to be the ritual chapter... You'll see what I have planned for that.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the feedback.
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Nick

"Zara," Klaus called out, stopping the girl's hasty exit. He was slowly getting annoyed that she was this good at avoiding him… The younger Petrova spent most of her time with Kol and Elijah, even going to visit the town every few days "You're going to have to talk to me one of these days."

"Do I?" the sixteen-year-old frowned "Look, I'm already late and it looks like my sister is about to come over here and kill me. Can't you just let this go? I'll tell you when I'm ready."

The vampire scoffed "And Kol already know… Why exactly?"

"Because he helped me with a Chimera," Zara told him, her eyes narrowing "Why do you care so much? It's not like my parent matters."

"Can you blame me for being curious?"

The demigod shook her head "No but I'm not asking what your plan with Katerina is either, do I? Just… Please leave it alone?" She felt uncomfortable telling people about her father. Partially because of the fact that he's the Lord of Death but also because she was afraid that people wouldn't want to be around her anymore. It was stupid, considering that Elijah and Klaus were vampires but it didn't change the fact that a part of her wanted to stay, wanted them to be her friends.

"There you are," Kol murmured, coming up behind Zara. He had been looking for her since they were supposed to meet an hour ago in the clearing Kol found a few days ago "Now I can see why you're late."

"Kol," Klaus nodded, his eyes narrowed on his younger brother "I'll leave you to it, shall I?"

The younger of the brothers smirked "Yes, go and run back to your little Doppelgänger, Nik. She looks ready to spit fire." He held his arm out to Zara "Come on, little warrior. We've got training to do."

"I bet I win this time," Zara grinned, looking up at him. After all, she had some tricks in her back pocket. Something that she hadn't shown him yet.

"Do you now?" Kol raised his eyebrow "And what do I get if I win?"

The daughter of Hades was silent for a moment, thinking about it "I'll tell you how I met Charon?"

"Deal," the Original nodded immediately. He loved hearing her stories. It was something new, something that he hadn't really heard a lot about. After almost five centuries most of the things he saw were boring. It was the reason why he was the way he was. Elijah might disapprove of his less than stellar performances but for him, it was a way to stay sane. To feel something other than boredom… Well, since he met Zara that changed. She was the breath of fresh air that he needed. She made him feel alive… "How about I tell you some stories if you win?"

"You mean 'when' I win," Zara questioned, ignoring the vampire's snort "Alright." She stopped for a moment when they reached the clearing, taking in the sheer beauty of it. It was something she did every time. No matter how often she came here, she couldn't help but feel at peace. There was no path or anything but it was full of flowers of different kinds and surrounded by trees. In the mornings and evenings when the sun was rising and setting, it was the most beautiful. The whole clearing lit up, making the flowers sparkle and shine.

Kol threw one of the sticks they were using as swords to the girl, snapping her out of whatever world she had just been in. The vampire was surprised that she was this mesmerized. It was just a clearing, nothing that he would have looked at twice "I don't get it. We've been here almost every day these past few days and you're still looking at it as if you've seen it for the first time."

"That is because you can't take these things for granted," the daughter of Hades pointed out "Nature is beautiful, it's something that you should appreciate and love. Even the woods. They are dark but every once in a while you find something like this clearing. A light in the darkness, something to bring balance. Nature is something untouched, something pure. My Aunt Persephone taught me how to look at it and see the beauty… It might sound weird to you but seeing the world change around me with the seasons is something incredible."

"That was an impressive speech," Kol snorted, shaking his head "Come on, I want to win this bet of ours." With that, he attacked, making Zara roll out of the way, blocking the strikes. This went on for some time and when Kol finally got the upper hand, Zara pulled back, wrapping shadows around herself. The vampire whirled around, trying to find the demigod. He blinked in surprise when a crack opened up in the ground and skeletons poured out "That's cheating," he muttered, blocking a strike from the undead warrior. Suddenly, his foot was pulled out from under him and Zara's stick was pressed against his back.

The daughter of Hades waved her hand, making the skeletons disappear back into the ground "I win."

Kol huffed, rolling around to hit Zara's legs. The girl crashed to the ground next to him "You cheated," he accused, holding her down.

"Technically we never established rules, so I didn't cheat," Zara pointed out, looking up at Kol with a small smirk "You're just mad that you lost."

The vampire stared down at the sixteen-year-old, aware of how close they were. He shook his head "Wait… If you could do that. Why didn't you use your powers to fight the Chimera."

Zara froze and cursed under her breath "I… forgot?"

"Are you kidding?" Kol laughed, pulling the girl up "How can you forget your superpower?"

"That's…" the daughter of Hades broke odd, shaking her head "Gods, I'm stupid."

Kol plucked a flower out of the sixteen-year-old's hair and gestured to a tree stump that was off to the side "I think I promised a story? What do you want to know?"

Zara bit her lip "Can you tell me about how you were changed?" She looked down as soon as she asked the question "Sorry. You don't have to tell me."

"It's alright," the Original shook his head. His voice was quiet, more subdued but he couldn't blame her for wanting to know more about them. After all, she told him quite a bit about her past already. It was only fair "What do you know? I'm guessing you already know something?"

"Only that Hecate was the one who gave your mother that spell," the daughter of Hades murmured.

Kol nodded, poking the ground with the stick he was holding "It was shortly after… after my youngest brother died. Our mother wanted us to be stronger than the werewolves in the village, so she apparently asked around for a way. She never told us that it was the Goddess of Magic who gave her the ritual though…" The vampire broke off.

"Kol, you don't have to tell me," Zara murmured, placing her hand on his arm.

"Our father killed us," the Original blurted out "He took a sword and slaughtered us after we drank the Potion… I – When I woke up…"

The daughter of Hades pulled the vampire into her arms with a small sigh "Kol, stop."

"Sorry," Kol mumbled, hiding his face in Zara's shoulder "I never talked about it before…"

"I can understand why you'd rather forget some memories," Zara whispered "I have my fair share of those." Her mind flashed back to the happiest and most painful day in her life. The day she met Hades for the first time. Had she not accidentally stumbled into the Underworld, she wouldn't be here today. She shook her head, pushing the memories back "So, the day I met Charon actually was pretty nice. Thanatos was supposed to look after me and he had some business to take care of."

_Flashback_

" _Who is that?" Charon tilted his head, looking at his brother in confusion._

_Thanatos shook his head with a snort "I forgot that you don't care about the gossip that goes around in this place." He placed a hand on the young girl's head "This is Zara. She's Hades' daughter."_

_Charon blinked "And she's down here? What about Persephone?"_

" _Aunty Persephone is the bestest," Zara proclaimed, looking up at the tall man. He was a bit taller than Thanatos with skin that was equally as dark as his brothers' although he was missing the wings._

" _Look, Char," Thanatos sighed, shifting "I'm supposed to take care of Zara but there's something I have to take care of… Could you…?"_

_Charon raised his eyebrow "You're joking, right?"_

" _Please?" The God of Death knelt down and whispered something into Zara's ear. She looked up at Charon with the most adorable puppy dog eyes she could "Can you say no to this face?"_

" _Damn you, Thanatos," the Ferryman grumbled "Fine. But don't expect me to like the brat."_

_Thanatos tried to hide his grin "Good luck with that. Alecto was the same way…"_

" _Are you saying this kid met the Furies?" Charon shook his head "You know what? Just go." As soon as his brother was gone, the Ferryman turned to the young girl "What am I supposed to do with you?"_

_Zara tilted her head up at the man and looked around the room curiously. Charon was standing at a huge podium with a waiting room area in front of him. There were quite a few dead people sitting there, waiting for their chance to cross over. She ran her eyes over them and stopped at a group of children "Who are they?"_

" _They are souls of the dead," the Ferryman pointed out, surprised at the quiet question. The girl had been louder when his brother had been there "The souls who are waiting to cross Styx to get judged."_

_The daughter of Hades nodded, walking over to the youngest boy carefully. She was a bit hesitant because she didn't know whether Charon would yell at her or not "Hello," she whispered._

" _Who are you?" the boy questioned, looking up at Zara with tears streaking down his eyes._

_"I'm Zara," she replied, sitting down on the floor next to him "Why are you sad?"_

_The child sniffled "I'm never gonna see my mother again. I miss her."_

" _It's alright," the daughter of Hades whispered, wiping his tears away "I'm sure you'll see her again someday."_

_End Flashback_

"He hung around for a year and a half after that," Zara explained with a small smile "Until I brought him to Elysium with his mother. Normally he would have been resurrected but I told my father what I planned for him."

Kol had sat up while Zara was telling her story "And what happened with Charon?"

"I think he was actually a bit impressed," the daughter of Hades shrugged "Although it took a while until he started liking me."

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Katerina hissed when she found her sister alone in the garden. The older Petrova had been stewing over the fact that Zara seemed to be getting along with all the Mikaelsons.

Zara turned around in surprise "I'm looking at the flowers… Why?"

"You know what I mean," Katerina pointed out "Why are they so interested in you?"

"That's… Is that your biggest problem?" the daughter of Hades tilted her head "Also, it's none of your business."

The older sister raised her hand as if to slap Zara "I told you to keep away from them."

Zara's hand shot out, grasping the older girl's wrist "I'm trying to stay away from Klaus but as you see it's not that easy when the man actually wants to talk to me."

"What's so interesting about you anyway?" Katerina grimaced in disgust.

"It's none of your business, Katerina."

She made a noise at the back of her throat "I'm your sister…"

"A fact that you only seem to remember when it suits you," Zara muttered "Excuse me."

"You're not going anywhere," Katerina said, holding onto Zara's arm tightly. The demigod bit her tongue, trying not to react "You will tell me what's going on between you and them. Are you really that much of a whore?"

Zara gaped at her "Really? You're the one accusing me of sleeping around. The one girl who slept with like half of the village back home?" The daughter of Hades let out a laugh, glaring at Katerina "Go to hell." Zara jerked her arm out of her sister's arm and stalked back towards the garden entrance. Her head snapped up when she heard someone clapping to her right "What do you want, Klaus?"

"Hey, no need to bite my head off," the Original held up his hands.

"Oh, go kill yourself."

The vampire looked to Katerina for a moment before he pressed Zara to the wall "Try to remember who you're talking to, kitten."

"Sorry," the daughter of Hades shook her head "I'm just angry. Katerina has that effect on me."

"I forgive you," Klaus smirked "If you tell me who your father is."

Zara let out a snort "Nice try." She patted his shoulder "Better luck next time, though."

* * *

"Keep your guard up," Kol called out "You have to try and balance attack and defence."

Zara was panting and sweating, trying to do what Kol was telling her "How… should I… keep my guard… up… when we've been… training for ages… already?"

"You don't see me almost dying, do you?" the vampire shot back.

"Said the… vampire," she grumbled, pushing him back as hard as she could.

Kol stumbled a little, surprised at the attack. He looked at the girl for a second before a smirk crossed his face. He attacked again with less strength this time, letting Zara control the direction they were going in. Once the demigod had the upper hand, Kol used one of the tricks he learned a long time ago. The daughter of Hades stumbled, falling backwards with the Original 'accidentally' falling down on top of her. Kol seized the moment, pressing their lips together. Zara gasped in shock, freezing underneath the vampire. What was he doing? The sixteen-year-old really didn't know how to react. It wasn't like she didn't like Kol but this was something she didn't how to deal with.

She was up on her feet as soon as Kol released his hold on her "I –" Zara swallowed, looking at Kol with an uncertain expression on her face "I should go." She turned around, almost running back towards the house. Kol called after her but she didn't stop. As soon as she reached a shadow, she stumbled through to the Underworld.

"Zara?" Persephone questioned, getting up from her throne.

"He… He kissed me," she breathed in shock, her eyes wide "What…"

The Goddess of Springtime wrapped her arm around Zara's shoulders, guiding her out of the room "Come on. You're going to tell me everything."


	6. 1492: Ritual Interrupted

"So," Persephone smiled when they reached her garden "Tell me what happened."

Zara ran a hand through her hair and started pacing "Kol and I… Ever since the Chimera attacked me, he helped me train. I – He kissed me."

"Are you upset about it?" the Goddess of Springtime questioned, looking at the girl who was as good as her daughter.

"I don't know," she admitted quietly, sinking to the ground "I don't know what to think. I mean, I like Kol. He's nice to me but… What do I do now?"

Persephone sat down next to Hades' daughter, her hand resting on the sixteen-year-old's shoulder "You should try to figure out how you feel about the kiss."

Zara closed her eyes "Is it bad if I want it to happen again?"

"Do you?" the Goddess raised her eyebrow. When Zara nodded, she grinned "Then there's your answer. You don't have to love him yet. That's not how it works. I didn't like your father for the longest time and now… Well, I wouldn't want to live without him anymore."

"Being with them – all of them is… I love spending time with Elijah and Kol. Klaus as well but he's always around Katerina for some reason," the sixteen-year-old shrugged "Did I ever tell you that Elijah is helping me with my reading?"

Persephone blinked "Really? That's nice of him. How is it going?"

"It's hard," Zara sighed "He's really patient though. Doesn't mind when I get frustrated. Elijah just encourages me to go on."

"Your father isn't very happy about you being around Hecate's creation that much," the Goddess pointed out "When you first met them, he was hoping that it was a one-time thing."

The demigod lowered her head "Should I…?"

"No," Persephone shook her head "I'm not telling you to make you reconsider this. I'm telling you because I need you to understand that your father might not be happy about all of your choice but that's what they ultimately are. Your choices."

Zara bit her lip "Will you tell him about Kol?"

"No," she replied "It's your choice what to tell your father and what not. Also, I think you should see where this goes before throwing your boyfriend to the sharks."

"He's not my boyfriend," the blonde blushed.

Persephone snorted out a laugh "Yet," she sung, ducking under the half-hearted swat that was aimed at her.

"Thank you… mom," Zara whispered, hugging Persephone tightly.

The Goddess swallowed heavily, blinking the tears from her eyes. Zara had never called her 'mom' always Aunt Persephone before but she kind of liked it "I will always be there for you, Zar. You're my daughter even if we're not blood."

"You're an awesome mother and I honestly couldn't wish for a better one," the daughter of Hades murmured.

"I love you, Zara," Persephone whispered, pressing a small kiss to the girl's head "Now, go and put your man out of his misery. I'm sure he's going out of his mind by now."

Zara huffed, ignoring the heat that was rising in her cheeks "He's not my man."

"You just tell yourself that," her mother teased, ushering her away "Oh, and I want to meet him someday."

"Mom," the demigod whined playfully, melting into the shadows with a small grin. The talk had really helped her. While Zara still wasn't sure what she should do, she did like Kol. Contrary to Katerina, no man had ever paid attention to Zara, so she had no idea how to work with it but for Kol, she was willing to try. He had been so nice to her, even though – from what Elijah had told her – that wasn't normal for him.

As soon as she stepped out of the shadows of her room, she found herself face to face with the Original that had taken over her thoughts since the kiss "Zara," Kol breathed frozen "I'm so sorry."

"Kol –"

"I shouldn't have done that," he continued, not acknowledging the fact that she was going to say something "I'm really, really sorry about the kiss."

Zara shook her head "Kol –"

Kol took a couple of steps towards her until they were standing only a few feet apart "I didn't mean to freak you out. I'd understand if you didn't want anything to do with me now… I – I should go."

The demigod rolled her eyes, catching Kol's arm. She bit her lip in hesitation before leaning up to press a sweet kiss to the vampire's lips "I – I'm the one who should apologize."

"You… You…?" the Original blinked down at her.

"I really like you, Kol. I – I don't know what that means but… I'm willing to find out?" she offered nervously. Kol's face broke out into a beaming grin before he leaned down to kiss her again "I'm sorry I left but I wasn't sure what to do. No man has… They were only interested in Katerina, never me."

Kol shook his head "You don't have to apologize, Zara. I sprung this on you. That wasn't fair."

"Still," she shook her head and a grin stole its way over her face "Persephone had a field day."

"Does that mean your father knows?" he questioned, paling.

Zara shook her head "No and I don't plan on telling him yet. Kol, I want to believe that you mean it but I'm scared. I don't know what to do… And I certainly don't want my father to hurt you… Not yet anyway."

"Not yet?" the vampire snorted "Well, that inspires confidence."

"My apologies," she laughed, snuggling closer to him.

* * *

"Rebekah," Elijah greeted his sister when she walked into the dining room. Zara had been talking to Kol quietly, trying to figure out some new training strategies while Klaus was – once again – trying to find out who the demigod's father was "I wasn't aware you were coming?"

The blonde Original tilted her head, taking in the two girls at the table. One was obviously the Doppelgänger… She looked just like that whore Tatia had. The other though… It was a surprise to see her as close to Kol as she was "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by."

"Right," the oldest Mikaelson nodded "Sister, meet Katerina Petrova and her sister Zara. They are staying with us." His tone held a hint of warning. Should anything happen to either of them, then he would react accordingly.

Zara looked at the beautiful girl across from her and smiled "Hello. I'm Zara… It's nice to meet you, Rebekah. Kol told me a lot about you."

"I dread to think," the female Original scoffed, rolling her eyes in amusement. Rebekah sat down at the table between Elijah and the fellow blonde "If you told her anything embarrassing, I'm going to tell her about the time you…"

"Bekah," Kol exclaimed, cutting her off.

The demigod raised her eyebrow "He didn't," she assured "Although now I do want to hear that story?"

"Zara," Katerina spoke up sharply, glaring at her younger sister.

"Sorry," Zara sighed, putting down her fork. She was so sick of Katerina trying to order her around but she also didn't really want to fight anymore. Standing up for herself felt good but she still preferred to avoid her sister at all costs "If you'll excuse me."

Kol caught her arm when she was about to stand up "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," she murmured "I'm fine."

"Want me to join?"

Zara tilted her head "I'm not going to say no. You don't have to though."

The youngest male Mikaelson shook his head "I want to. Come on, darling."

Rebekah watched them leave with surprise written over her features. She had never seen Kol act that way. Never… From what she had seen since she arrived, the blonde was close to her brothers and not only Kol. Katerina, on the other hand, had started talking to Klaus, trying to get his attention away from her sister. She seemed to be as bad as Tatia but the blonde Original decided to observe for a little while longer. Rebekah almost jumped when Elijah leaned over to her "Kol is smitten with her. Since he met Zara, he barely left her side. I will tell you later. There are some things that I believe you would be interested in."

* * *

"You're a demigod?" Rebekah questioned, sitting down on the stone bench next to the sixteen-year-old.

Zara looked up from the flower she was caressing "Your brothers told you?"

"Elijah did," the Original nodded "Can I ask you something?"

"I won't tell you who my father is," the daughter of Hades replied immediately.

Rebekah shook her head "That's not what I meant… I can understand why you won't tell anyone. Although from what I hear, Kol knows?"

Zara nodded "He was there when I was attacked by a Chimera a while ago. I – I felt like he earned the right to know then."

"He's so different with you," the female vampire smiled "I have never seen Kol act that way, not even when we were human."

"Is that a good thing?" the demigod questioned, tilting her head curiously.

"That's a very good thing," Rebekah pointed out "Kol is… Well, I'm sure you've heard by now. I believe it was partially our fault for how he acted but… I'm really glad that you don't see him as the monster that –"

The daughter of Hades stiffened "I'm going to stop you right there. Kol's not a monster and neither are you or your siblings. You were made into vampires. I have talked to Lady Hecate about it and she told me some very interesting facts. I see you as what you are. It's in your nature to kill people, to drink their blood. I can't argue with that."

"Have you met many Gods and Goddesses?" the other girl questioned. She was curious about what the Goddess of Magic could have said but she could ask about that another time.

"A few," Zara laughed "My father, his wife, several other Gods from my father's realm, Hermes and even Lady Nyx… There are some more but those are the ones I spent the most time with."

Rebekah let out a shaky breath "How does your father act? You said he has a wife, did she accept you?"

"My father is amazing," the demigod told her "He didn't have to accept me but he did. I – I met him by accident eleven years ago and I couldn't imagine life without him or his wife. They are my parents. Even if I'm only a demigod…"

"Do you think I could meet a God?"

Zara hummed "Maybe if you stick around," she nodded "I can imagine Lady Hecate being interested in meeting you. Also, Kol wants to meet her as well. It's not going to be now or anything but… Maybe I can take you some time."

"I like you, Zara. You're a lot nicer than your sister," the female Mikaelson pointed out.

The daughter of Hades coughed out a laugh "I've heard that before, yes. Katerina is – She was raised to believe that she can get anything. I'm not trying to defend her because I'm sick of her attitude but… She isn't to blame for everything."

* * *

A few days after Rebekah had arrived, the day of the full moon was upon them once more. This time, Klaus had everything he needed for the ritual. Zara was with Elijah in the library, studying another one of his journals. They were deep in conversation when the younger Original threw the doors open "What have you done?" Klaus hissed at Elijah.

Zara tilted her head in confusion, watching Elijah blink "I don't understand."

"Katerina has gone," the Hybrid snarled "She has fled."

"No," the older of the two brothers shook his head.

That was when Klaus whirled around to face Zara "What did you tell her?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about," the demigod spoke up, getting up from her chair.

Klaus' hand shot out to grab at her throat, pushing the girl against the wall. His face changed as he shouted "Do not lie to me."

Elijah grabbed a hold of his brother's arm, trying to pull him off the blonde "I will find her," he told his younger brother "You have my word. Let Zara go."

"She is lying, Elijah. She must be," Klaus argued, tightening his grip.

"Niklaus."

The younger Mikaelson rolled his eyes, throwing Zara to the side. The sixteen-year-old closed her eyes, waiting for the impact with the stone wall when she felt herself land on the floor. She couldn't stop the groan from escaping her lips "Zara?" the familiar voice of her father made her open her eyes.

She blinked back the tears of shock and looked up "Father?"

Hades glanced down at his daughter who was still on the ground. He knew that eventually, his child would get hurt. There was no doubt who had done this to her. From the look on her face, she had trusted that person and there were not many that could claim this "I think it's time I meet these Originals. What do you think?"

The look on Hades' face was scary enough for Zara to actually scramble up and take a step back "Father, no. It was an accident. You don't have to..."

"Be quiet, child," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They stepped through the shadows and back to the room Zara had been in not ten minutes earlier.

"Zara," Kol gasped, looking at the girl to see whether she was hurt. After he heard what Klaus did, he almost killed his older brother. He was about to step closer to her when he realized that she wasn't alone.

The daughter of Hades smiled, shifting under the arm that was still wrapped around her shoulders "I'm alright, Kol."

"So... you are the infamous Originals that Hecate told me so much about," Hades started, his voice dripping with honey. Zara stiffened, barely suppressing the shudder at her father's tone. This was bad... This was very, very bad "Imagine my surprise when my daughter came flying out of the shadows at my palace with an expression on her face as if she had fallen into Tartarus."

Elijah looked at the dark man in front of his and back to the girl he had come to see as a younger sister. His eyes widened a little before he bowed his head "Lord Hades."

"Which one of you is responsible for hurting my daughter?" Hades thundered.

"Father," Zara cut in, trying to calm the enraged God down.

Hades tightened his grip a little in warning "Hush, child."

"No." She freed herself from his grip and stepped in front of him "I'm alright. Nothing happened."

"Nothing…" the God of the Underworld trailed off. He huffed when his daughter raised an eyebrow at him. Hades knew the look… If he didn't stop, she would go to Persephone and then he would be doomed. His wife loved the girl and would do everything for her, not to mention the people Zara had charmed in his domain. Hades knew that if it came to taking sides, he would be hopelessly outnumbered "Fine, fine. I will take my leave then."

"Yes, please do," the demigod nodded. Hades glared at the vampires one last time before he turned around and disappeared back into the shadows.

Kol exhaled loudly, finally stepping forward to pull Zara into his arms "That was intense… I'm kinda bummed he didn't kill Nik though."

"Shut up, Kol," Klaus snarled at his younger brother, his face white as a wall. He walked over to Zara, tilting her head up "Are you hurt?"

The daughter of Hades shook her head "No. Like I told my father – I'm fine."

"Now that you mentioned it… Hades, as in the Lord of the Underworld, is your father?" Klaus exclaimed, running his hand through his hair "You couldn't have said that before?"

"Where would have been the fun in that?" Zara shrugged, walking over to sit in the chair Elijah had occupied earlier. She tilted her head "So, anyone want to tell me what is going on here?"

Klaus crossed his arms "Not really, no."

The daughter of Hades raised her eyebrow "Alright then." She got up from the chair, ready to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," Zara called over her shoulder. She was hurt that Klaus hadn't believed her but whatever he needed her sister for must have been important. Maybe he would tell her what that was all about someday. The demigod wasn't angry, she couldn't be. That didn't mean that it didn't frighten her… At that moment, she had seen her stepfather in Klaus… The willingness to hurt another person, someone who didn't necessarily deserve their wrath. She knew that he was a good person at heart but still. Seeing why so many people were afraid of him, was slightly terrifying.

* * *

Several weeks after the incident, Zara walked into the library when she heard shouting coming from the seating area "What's going on?" she questioned, looking at the four Mikaelsons in confusion. After Katerina ran, Zara offered to move back in with Mrs Farley but the vampires wanted to hear nothing of it.

"Niklaus, calm down," Elijah sighed, looking at his younger brother in thinly veiled annoyance.

"How dare she turn herself into a vampire?"

Kol rolled his eyes, pulling Zara down next to him "Nik, seriously. There's nothing you can do about it now. You already killed her family."

"Whose family?" the daughter of Hades tilted her head.

"Katerina," Rebekah shrugged, forgetting who she was with for a moment.

Zara stiffened and turned to Klaus "You did what?"

"Zara…" the Hybrid started, looking at the girl uncomfortably "I…"

"I don't care," the demigod shook her head harshly "They were mine to kill."

The Mikaelsons stopped, turning to the girl in surprise "What?" Elijah inquired, not sure whether his ears played tricks on him.

"My so-called father abused me because I wasn't his and my mother stood by, doing nothing. They were mine to kill," she hissed, getting up.

"Where are you going?" Kol called out, watching his… girlfriend stalking towards one of the walls.

Zara turned back to look at the Originals "I'm going to make sure they suffer," she smirked with a dark look on her face "My father and the Furies have been waiting for this day for quite a while." With those words, she left them in favour of making sure that Hades was aware of the people that were about to join him.


	7. 1494: Accidental Accidents

 

It's been almost two years since Katerina ran away and Zara just turned eighteen. Her and Kol had left the others, opting to travel England, Scotland and Ireland. Their relationship grew a lot over the past years and for the past eight months, the two of them had been in Scotland. Zara had taken a shine to the Orkney Islands and after a round trip through the idyllic countryside, the two settled there for a short while. The daughter of Hades occasionally still thought about the day she found out that her parents – or rather the people who called themselves her birth parents – had died.

_Flashback_

_After Zara left the Mikaelsons gaping after her in shock, she blended into the shadows, appearing in the hall in front of the Judgement Pavilion. She wasn't sure how long ago it had been since Klaus had killed them, so the first thing she did was scan the line. The daughter of Hades was just about to turn away when she saw who she was looking for. The two hadn't changed at all._

" _Zara?" her mother blinked, seeing her daughter walk over to them with a dark look on her face "What… Did he kill you too?"_

_The demigod raised her eyebrows with a smirk "Nope. Very much alive."_

" _Don't you mess with us, girl," the Petrova patriarch boomed, getting the attention from several souls who were in the hall, waiting to be judged._

" _I'm not messing with you," she pointed out "I'm very much still alive and Klaus isn't that bad."_

_Her stepfather gaped "You know that… that beast?"_

" _I do," Zara shrugged "So, I have a question for the two of you." When she saw them somewhat paying attention "How does it feel to have your precious Katerina be responsible for your death?" The girl caught the older man's arm when he went to hit her "Not this time."_

" _W – What happened to you?" Zara's mother wailed, sounding close to tears._

_The daughter of Hades stepped closer to her "I got sick of letting people push me around. It was about time, wasn't it?"_

" _Who do we have here?" a dangerous voice sounded from behind the demigod._

_Zara whirled around to see her father glaring at the couple with the scowliest scowl she had ever seen. He looked even angrier than when Klaus had pushed her into a wall "Father."_

" _What do you mean 'father'?" the Petrova patriarch demanded angrily._

_It was Zara's mother who gasped "It's you."_

_Hades looked at the woman blankly for a moment before recognition dawned in his eyes "Zara… Are they?"_

" _Yes," the Demigod nodded "Klaus killed them because Katerina ran away. I don't know about you but that just feels like sweet revenge already. Getting killed because their favourite daughter angered the wrong person."_

" _Oh, I had years to plan on what to do with you," the God of the Underworld smirked "There are quite a few things I would like to try." He turned to look at his daughter "Would you like to help? It might be a valuable lesson for later in life?"_

_Zara grinned "Do you really have to ask? I think Alecto wanted a go at them as well."_

" _And don't forget about Persephone, Thanatos and I might even let Cerberus take a turn as well," Hades added._

_It was then that the Petrova patriarch finally found his voice "What is the meaning of this, girl? Who is that man and why do you call him father?"_

" _Hm?" the blonde girl blinked "Oh, because he's the man your loving wife cheated with."_

" _Come along, now," Hades spoke up before things could escalate further. He didn't want any drama. The only thing he wanted was for the scum in front of him to get what they deserved "There is a very special corner of the Fields of Punishment reserved for the two of you."_

_End Flashback_

Recently, Hades had found out about the fact that Zara was in a relationship with Kol. The Ruler of the Underworld walked in on his daughter talking to Persephone and immediately kicked up a huge fuss. Apparently, he wanted to officially meet the man who had taken away his innocent little girl. The Goddess of Springtime had been trying very hard not to laugh at Zara's dismayed expression while her father went on and on and on about all the things he would do to show her lover why he shouldn't be close to his daughter.

"Are you ready?" Zara questioned, looking at Kol with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

The vampire fidgeted "No? You know, I really do want to see the Underworld but… Do I really have to meet your father? That guy is still scaring the crap out of me and I only met him once."

The daughter of Hades patted Kol's arm in mock sympathy, trying not to let the smirk show. While she didn't know what her father had planned, she was sure that the Original would remember it for quite some time "He's not going to kill you. Let's go."

"How can you be so sure?" Kol frowned before shaking his head. His lover knew her father, so he hoped that she would know what she was talking about "How are we going to do this?"

Zara grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him through the shadows into the Underworld "Shadow travel," she laughed, seeing his bewildered expression. He had seen her disappear into shadows before and thought that it was pretty nice to be able to travel that way. Oh, how wrong he was. It was hell. The daughter of Hades turned to face him, spreading her arms dramatically "Welcome… to the Underworld."

"Woah," the vampire gasped, the sick feeling he had experienced forgotten as he looked around in awe. He thought the Underworld would be… different. Similar to what he imagined Hell to be like but this? The widespread realm was firey and dark but not overly so and – even though Kol wasn't sure why he felt that way – quite comfortable "So, where are we now?"

"At the main gate," the daughter of Hades explained, pointing behind them where the vampire could see a huge gate made completely out of precious metals "We're just inside which means that on the other side of that gate is the River Styx. Also, Cerberus is guarding the gate. I would take you to meet him but… I don't think that father would appreciate waiting even longer. Maybe when we're leaving."

"Alright," Kol gulped nervously. He never had to meet someone's parents before. Usually, he only played with a girl for a while before getting rid of her but Zara was different. She was a challenge and even after two years, there were still new things to explore with her. If there was anyone he could see himself with for a long time… It was her.

The two walked along the path, Zara occasionally pointing out the different landmarks "That's the Judgement Pavilion on the left there. Every soul that comes here gets judged and there it gets decided where they will go. The Fields of Punishment further up the other path behind the Pavilion and past the Isle of the Blessed. So basically, the Fields of Punishment are for the worst souls… My mother and stepfather are there… Elysium or the Isle of the Blessed is for the Heroes, the best of the best. Most of the souls go here though." She pointed to a large field that was surrounded by gates and a thin layer of mist "The Fields of Asphodel. Before the souls are allowed in, they are cleansed… That means that they won't remember anything of their lives, they lose their identities and basically turn into machines."

"That's a bit…" the Original struggled to find the right words. Unfair? No, he knew that life wasn't fair and didn't expect the same from death either. It was a bleak outlook for the people who didn't achieve a lot in their lifetime "Sad."

"It rather is, isn't it?" Zara sighed "But honestly, better be in there with no idea of who you are than to be tortured in the Fields of Punishment. I've been there."

"Where would you want to go?" Kol questioned curiously.

The daughter of Hades shrugged "It's complicated. I would love to go to Elysium – who wouldn't – but… It all depends on what I do with my life, doesn't it?" They came to a fork in the road and Zara couldn't stop the shiver when she glanced down the right path. Ever since she had almost fallen into Tartarus as a child, she was very wary of the place, barely ever going anywhere near it "Let's hurry."

"Are you alright?" the vampire questioned in concern. He had noticed the shiver and the fact that Zara hadn't told him where the right path lead… Well, it meant nothing good.

* * *

One of the souls Hades had stationed all over the Underworld had just returned, reporting that they had seen his daughter with a man coming towards the palace. What neither the Original nor Zara knew was that Hades had more or less accepted him as his daughter's suitor already. The God had seen how happy Zara was and that was something he appreciated. It might have taken him a little while to accept that his daughter was with one of Hecate's creations but… Persephone had told him what Zara had told her. How much fun she was having and that – for the first time in her life – she felt like she was worth something outside of the Underworld. That didn't mean that he didn't have a plan. After all, she was his little girl and in his opinion still too young to settle down with anyone. Both Hades and Persephone took their spaces on the dais, waiting for Zara to arrive. The God of the Underworld let his power crackle out, darkening the room, creating a dreary, spooky atmosphere. It also got colder, causing all the skeleton soldiers in the room to cower away from him. They had no idea what their Master was doing all of a sudden but it couldn't mean anything good. Since they couldn't just disappear, they were all trying to melt into the black stone wall surrounding them.

"Don't go overboard, dear," Persephone shook her head, unaffected by her husband's powers. She wasn't sure how Zara would react to her father's plan but she hoped that this Kol was worth it. That wasn't quite right. She knew that he was worth it, otherwise her daughter would have never brought him here… No, Persephone was worried that her husband would go too far and that it would break Zara's heart. The girl deserved the happiness she currently had with the vampire, no matter what Hades might think of that.

Hades looked at his wife with a small, mischievous grin "Who? Me?"

"I mean it, Hades," the Goddess of Springtime rolled her eyes "If you ruin this for Zara she won't forgive you."

"He's a vampire," the Lord of the Underworld waved off "I just want to make sure he's the right person for my little girl." Persephone smiled at her husband's tone and settled back into her throne.

It didn't take long for the door to be pushed open by the two warriors stationed outside. Zara stepped in first, looking over her shoulder with a sigh "Kol…"

"Yes, yes," a male voice – Kol grumbled, following his girl through the doors hesitatingly. The first thing he noticed was that it was different from all the other rooms he had seen so far. It was way darker than the rest of the palace and it was colder as well.

The Demigod froze when she finally turned to the room completely "Father," she nodded, her voice tighter than it had been moments ago.

"Zara," the God of the Underworld nodded, looking at his daughter and then at the young man next to her "So this is the one you kept a secret? Your mother had to tell me."

"I'm sorry, father," Zara sighed, pulling Kol closer to the dais by the hand "I – I wanted to make sure that this would last before you break him."

The Original made a noise at the back of his throat "I so don't appreciate that," he sighed before bowing to the two deities in front of his "Lady Persephone. Lord Hades, it is a pleasure to see you again. After the last time…"

"Hm," Hades grunted, remembering the young man from when he had followed his daughter to the mansion. He was the one who had been openly worried for Zara. The God turned to his daughter "I think Thanatos wanted to see you."

"Oh, no," Zara shook her head "There's no way I'm leaving you alone."

Persephone stood up, whispering something into Hades' ear, making sure to keep her voice low enough for the vampire to not hear before she made her way over to her daughter "Come on. I want to show you some new flowers that my mother gave me."

The Demigod looked at Kol uncertainly and narrowed her eyes on her father "If anything happens to him…"

"I'll be fine, darling," the Original murmured, pressing a small kiss to his girl's temple "Go on."

"Are you sure?" Zara asked, searching his eyes "You really don't have to do this."

Kol smiled lightly "I think I do," he gave back gently "I mean, I love you and nothing is going to change that."

"I love you too." The daughter of Hades looked up at her father again, this time seeing the slightly soft look in his eyes. She tilted her head for a moment before following Persephone out of the room.

* * *

A few months after Zara brought Kol to the Underworld, they were on their way to the closest village. It was about an hour's ride away from the small cottage they had in the north of Orkney. At first, Kol hadn't liked the fact that the cottage was as small as it was. He was a Mikaelson after all but Zara had her way. She preferred a smaller home, especially since it was only the two of them. In the end, they had compromised. A cottage that was bigger than all the others in the area but compared to the Mikaelson Mansion back in England it was barely existent.

"So, what do we need exactly?" Kol questioned, holding out his arm for Zara to take. They had gone to the market since the only produce they had were a few more loaves of bread.

The daughter of Hades looked around "Well, food for one. I also need a few pots and bowls since you dropped the last ones." She raised her eyebrow at him.

"They were ugly," the vampire protested.

"But they were all we had at the moment," Zara snorted "If the bowls were so ugly then you pick the new ones."

Kol laughed, wrapping his arm around his girl's waist "Alright. I will and they will be awesome."

"Keep telling yourself that," the Demigod rolled her eyes, leaning against Kol's side a little "Considering your sense of… of style, I'd be really surprised if you choose anything good."

"Hey," Kol huffed playfully, pressing a small kiss to the Demigod's forehead. The two wandered around the market, buying what they needed for at least the next week.

Zara couldn't help the laugh that escaped her when Kol indeed picked up the most hideous stuff he could find. She shook her head "How about this?" the daughter of Hades questioned, pointing to another bowl set.

"I was… erm… testing you," the Original murmured, scratching the back of his neck.

"Right," Zara drawled, handing the merchant some money for the bowls she chose "Come on. I want to go home." Kol hummed, looking down at the girl, waggling his eyebrows "Not like that. Idiot."

On the way back, they were laughing, making plans on what they were going to do the next day. Normally, they would go train but Zara wanted to go for a hike to a meadow that was a two-hour walk from their cottage.

Suddenly, the horses spooked, making the Demigod nervous. Their horses were the calmest animals ever… They didn't even care that she was who she was. Not a lot of animals wanted to be around the daughter of Hades "Kol…"

"I know," the Original nodded, trying to rein in his horse. His head snapped up when he heard the beating of wings "Zara… Look up."

"No," Zara breathed, quickly dismounting "Gryphons. A whole flock of them. Kol, I'm not sure we can take all of them." She was scared… There were so many monsters and it was only the two of them.

Kol got off his horse, ushering them towards their home "We try, okay? We trained. Zara, we can take them. Get ready."

"Yes," the daughter of Hades nodded, getting into position.

The attack was brutal. There must have been at least thirty Gryphons and they were all attacking at once. Zara slashed and stabbed them as well as she could, trying not to get too hurt at the same time. She occasionally threw some rocks at them but since it was light outside and there were no shadows, she was severely limited in her powers. It was about halfway through the fight when she heard a gasp coming from Kol who had gotten caught by the talons of one of the monsters. That split second of inattention was enough for one of the beasts to jump on top of the Demigod, ripping into her flesh with vigour "Zara," Kol called out, hearing her screams of pain. His vision turned red as he started ripping into the Gryphons more violently, trying to get them away from his lover. There was so much blood… It was soaking the ground the daughter of Hades was lying on. When the monsters noticed that they didn't have a chance against the vampire, they left with a victorious caw. At least, they hurt the Demigod. It was all that mattered. The Original fell to his knees, gathering the girl in his arms. He couldn't hear a pulse and she wasn't breathing anymore… "Zara… Wake up. Please, you have to wake up. Please… I'm so sorry." Tears fell from his eyes as continued rocking Zara back and forth. He knew that she had his blood in her system when she died but… That wasn't how they wanted to do it. Zara wanted to wait for another year until she was nineteen but as a precaution, she had been drinking his blood. A good idea as it now turned out.

* * *

Zara woke up in darkness. The last thing she remembered was being attacked with Kol… Kol. He got hurt. The memories came flooding back, making the Demigod stumble into a wall she hadn't know was there. She got distracted and… One of the Gryphons – it… She was dead. Funnily enough, she didn't feel dead. It was more like… She felt like an impression of herself. There were still feeling, memories, she was still Zara but at the same time, she wasn't. It was a weird feeling.

"Zara," a voice startled her out of her contemplation. She opened her eyes – No wonder it had been dark… and came face to face with Charon "What's going on?"

"I – Charon… Can you get father? Please," the daughter of Hades pleaded "I can't… I…"

He looked down at the girl he saw as a sister and frowned "You don't look like any of the other souls that come through here. You're less transparent, I guess."

"I'm dead but not," the Demigod shrugged, trying very hard not to freak out "I had Kol's blood. I'm turning into a vampire."

"That would do it," the Ferryman hummed. He knew that vampires existed but he handÄt known that their souls would come to the Underworld before they woke up. Maybe Zara was just a special case "Come with me." Charon held out his hand for the demigod to take. There was a good chance that she couldn't shadow travel on her own while she was in this state, so he quickly pulled them through a shadow, appearing in Hades' palace.

Zara bowed her head in gratitude "Thanks, Charon."

"You're welcome, little one," he replied, patting her shoulder gently "Good luck."

As soon as he was gone, the Demigod started running through the halls. She skidded to a halt in front of the doors to the throne room "Is my father in?" Zara questioned one of the skeleton warriors.

"Yes, Princess," he nodded, gesturing for the other to help him open the door "Here you go."

Normally, Zara would have talked to them for a little bit but she didn't know how long she still had, so she smiled lightly, running through the doors "Father."

"Zara?" Hades' head snapped up in surprise, seeing his daughter running towards him. As soon as his gaze landed on her, he knew that something was wrong. The God of the Underworld quickly stood up, catching her in his arms "What happened?"

"Gryphons," the girl sniffed "A whole flock. I – Kol and I tried. I'm scared, daddy."

Hades tilted the blonde's head up gently "Why are you scared?"

"Because I promised Kol not to leave him," she admitted "I know that I'll wake up but… What if it happens again? I don't want that to happen."

"It's alright, Zara," the God murmured, pulling his daughter into a tight hug "I think I might have a solution for that. Hecate said to come to her whenever you 'finally get the courage to turn'."

The Demigod blinked at her father with surprise "She said that?"

"That's Hecate for you," Hades rolled his eyes "I believe she had an idea on how to make you as durable as your Originals."

"Really?"

Hades nodded "Come on. Let's go and get her." The two of them walked out of the throne room and to the other side of the palace where Hecate usually stayed. She had her own wing with several libraries, labs and everything her heart desired. It was no wonder that she preferred to stay in the Underworld. The Goddess of Magic once told Zara that Olympus was easily the most annoying place anyone could be at. There were constantly people interrupting her and trying to drag her away from her work.

The father-daughter duo reached Hecate's rooms a few minutes later. To their surprise, the Goddess was already waiting for them "I heard what happened," she said, looking at Zara with a sympathetic smile on her face "You know about the immortality spell that was used on your Mikaelson family, so I'm going to do a similar spell on you. It will basically turn you into an Original Hybrid. Part vampire and part Demigod."

"You can do that?" Zara asked "I mean, wouldn't that take a long time to figure out?"

Hecate grinned "Luckily for you, I was ready since you met the Mikaelsons. It was obvious that this was the way it would end eventually. Hades might have hoped that you would get to live a normal life but… Once you're a part of the world, you won't get out as easily."

"Thank you so much," the Demigod breathed, throwing her arms around the Goddess. Hecate taught her a lot in the past years. They never really had much contact before Zara met the Originals but after that, the two of them would talk to each other quite often. Hecate kept an eye on them occasionally but she wanted to know everything that was to know about them and meet them some time. Zara was only too happy to make that come true. Kol had been asking her to meet the Goddess of Magic as well since he had been a Warlock before.

* * *

It took a long time for Zara to wake up. Too long for Kol. The Original had spent most of the time pacing up and down in front of the bed that his lover was lying in. Several hours had passed and the sky was starting to darken. What if she didn't wake up? What if he hadn't given her enough blood? All those and more questions were whirling through his mind at a breakneck speed. He didn't know what he would do if Zara really died. There was no way that he wanted to live without her. She was the one who showed him how to really enjoy life again. Without murder or compulsion. Compared to several women before her, she wasn't trying to change him. That was something he loved about her. She didn't care what he did in the past or whether he lost control. She loved him for the homicidal maniac that he could be.

Another hour or so later, Kol's head snapped up when he heard a loud gasp from the bed "You're awake," he breathed, pulling Zara into his arms "I was so scared that I lost you. You can't leave me, Zara. You just can't… I love you."

"I love you too," the girl smiled, stretching to press a kiss to his lips "I'm sorry that I scared you. I should have been more careful."

"No," the Original shook his head "It's not your fault… You know, it was bound to happen eventually with all the attacks that happened in the past few months."

The daughter of Hades sighed, resting her head against her lover's chest. Everything was so different all of a sudden. The things she thought were familiar seemed so strange and she gasped when the feelings started rolling through her in waves "There's something I have to tell you."

"Hm?" Kol tilted his head.

"I – When I was unconscious, Hecate did a spell on me. Kol, she turned me into an Original. The only difference between us is that I can still use my Demigod powers and that I can't be killed with White Oak but with the wood of my mother's Pomegranate tree. There's very little chance of anyone getting a piece of that since it's protected."

Kol blinked once, twice and again before the words finally registered "You're an Original?" When Zara nodded, he grinned, twirling her around "Come on. Let's get you fed, alright? I'm sure that you're hungry."

"A little bit," she admitted, following him through the cottage and outside.

**Omake**

On Olympus, the twelve Olympians were sitting, having another meeting "There's another subject we need to talk about," Zeus boomed, looking around the assembled Gods and Goddesses "I have been informed of a threat that Hades had been hiding from us."

Hermes raised an eyebrow at his father in surprise. He was one of the few who actually spent some time around the Lord of the Underworld and the only thing Zeus could mean was… "You mean Zara? She's not a threat."

"You know of it?" the Kind of Gods blinked in surprise.

"Er, hello? Messenger of the Gods here?" Hermes gestured "Zara is not an 'it', she's a 'she'. Just because she turned doesn't make her any less of what she is."

Artemis looked at him curiously "What is she?"

"Through a series of circumstances, Zara was changed into a vampire recently..." Hermes explained "Which apparently makes her a threat to Olympus." He snapped his fingers, conjuring up a picture of the girl "That's her."

Apollo whistled "Are you sure she's Uncle H's daughter? She's cute." Hermes laughed at his brother and shook his head. He didn't want to know what Uncle H would do if he found out about Apollo taking a shine to the girl. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that but he valued his life. Plus, he was sure that she was close to the Originals and there was no way he wanted that kind of trouble. Hermes shrugged internally. Apollo would find out sooner or later.

"Quiet," Zeus thundered "It is of no matter whether you think it… she is a threat or not, Hermes. The girl is too powerful. We can't let Hades have that kind of power on his side."

Poseidon rolled his eyes at his younger brother. He might not have met his niece yet but that didn't mean he wanted her dead. She had her own life and if she was smart enough to escape death, who was he to argue? "Relax, brother. Hades obviously cares for her. What does it matter? Just leave the girl – Zara, you called her? – alone. You don't know whether she will become a threat or not. Hermes, what do you think?"

"I don't really know her well enough to say," the messenger murmured "I don't believe that she will be a threat though. She has her own life and while she is close to her father, she wouldn't attack anyone just because he says so. Also, I think Persephone wouldn't let Uncle H use her as a weapon."

Demeter sniffed "My daughter is going to kill the brat when she finds out about her…"

"Actually… She already knows," Hermes pointed out "Has known for… I don't know how long."

"That's impossible," the Goddess of the Harvest shook her head "Persephone would have told me."

Zeus rolled his eyes at the bickering going on and cleared his throat "I believe we should ask Hades to explain his reasoning." A light drizzle of rain started in the middle of the room and soon the twelve Gods and Goddesses inside the room could see Hades on his throne "Brother."

Hades looked up from whatever he was working on and rolled his eyes "To what do I owe the absolute pleasure of your call? Oh, no. Wait. I can guess. Zara?"

"Explain," the King of Gods ordered.

"Explain what exactly?" the God of the Underworld frowned "She's my daughter, she got turned into a special kind of vampire and now she's back where she belongs. What else is there to know?"

Zeus narrowed his eyes "You will hand over a weapon to kill her. I don't care whether she is your daughter. If she proves to be a threat, she will die."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that, brother," Hades interjected smoothly "The wood is from Persephone's tree. You would have to ask her."

"Ask me what?" the Goddess in question asked, walking up to Hades.

The Ruler of the Underworld turned to his wife "To hand over a part of your tree so they can kill Zara. 'Just in case' apparently."

"No," Persephone replied immediately, shaking her head.

Demeter looked at her daughter "Don't you want that brat dead? I mean… He cheated on you."

"He did," the Goddess of Springtime nodded "And I have forgiven him for that. It's not Zara's fault who she was born to, mother."

They started arguing with Demeter and Zeus trying to convince Persephone to hand over some wood for a weapon, while the others either listened silently or didn't pay attention at all. Not that anyone could blame Ares or Dionysus for completely ignoring the discussion going on. Neither of them cared whether the girl lived or died.

After almost an hour of talking, the door to the throne room opened. Zara walked in, blinking when she saw the Olympian council in the Iris message "Oh… Bad time," she murmured, exchanging a glance with her father "Sorry. I'll leave you to it."

Before she could disappear though, Hades called her back "Zara. Can you tell my idiot of a brother that you aren't going to turn around and kill them?"

"Why would I want to do that?" the blonde frowned "I don't even know them. And anyway, I have my own problems to deal with. It's too much work to murder a couple of Gods and Goddesses. Never mind planning that. Thanks, I'm good."

Persephone snorted "You spent to much time with your Original."

"It's not my fault," she huffed "Kol's attitude just… rubs off after a while."

"I'm sure that's not the only thing that 'rubs off'," the Goddess of the Underworld grinned mischievously.

Hades raised his hand to his head "Please, stop. I really don't want to hear that."

"Sorry, father," Zara smirked, a light blush on her cheeks "I'll just… leave you to it then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… Bit embarrassing actually but I wanted to ask something for… About six chapters now and I forgot every. Single. Time…
> 
> Anyway, here goes. I have some minor Crossovers planned in the History chapters. There's three… Well, technically two with hints of the third. All of them are quests from different deities, so they could be left out… Just think about it.
> 
> One is Pirates of the Caribbean, one is sorta Titanic (I never saw the movie but I had an idea concerning the necklace) and lastly the Mummy. Would it be alright for me to add this? I'm only asking because I honestly want your opinion on it since this isn't necessary for the story but would probably be a cool addition.
> 
> Nick


	8. 1494: Magical Quests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, this took me forever and this isn't even really one of the history chapters... But I have finally written this now, so that's good, right?
> 
> I used a legend in here. Vixiana the Witch of Vixen Tor. I modelled it somewhat after her - more than a little actually but I'm not sure whether I hit her character since I only found really vague stories about her. Let's call this... creative leeway.
> 
> Also, from your Reviews I have decided to add the chapters with the cameos. We'll see which of the Originals will be in the chapters when they come around.
> 
> I'm not sure whether I will update much in the next few weeks since I'm going to Spain for three weeks starting the Sunday after next. I'll do my best to write but I am doing a language course, so I don't know how busy I'll be.
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Nick

 

In the two weeks after Zara had woken up as an Original, Kol had helped her to adjust to her new abilities. He had taken her out to feed, to get used to humans around and just running around, letting her use her new strength. So far the Gryphons had been the last attack that she had to suffer but even so, both Zara and Kol were ready for anyone who would come at them.

"I was thinking…" Zara murmured, her head resting on Kol's shoulder as her eyes kept drifting shut.

Kol hummed "About what?"

"I want to go back to see your siblings," the demigod said "We haven't been to visit for a while and now that I am… I think we should go back."

"But I don't want to go back to my siblings," Kol pouted "Elijah is such a stick in the mud."

Zara snorted "Come on… I want to see Rebekah again. Also, I promised her that I would take her to meet a deity someday. There is something I have to ask Hecate, so if you want to tag along as well, you're welcome to."

"Did you just say Hecate?" the original Original asked, perking up.

"Yes," Zara yawned "I did. Why? Interested?"

Kol tightened his arms around his girl and hummed "To be honest, I wanted to meet her since finding out that you were a demigod."

"You could have said," the daughter of Hades pointed out with a frown "She does live in the Underworld most of the time."

"I just…" Kol trailed off, shaking his head. He had been slightly apprehensive about meeting the Goddess of Magic. He knew that it was probably stupid but he was scared that she would hate him for losing his magic. Not that it sounded like she did… Hecate gave their mother the spell but a part of him was still afraid of what the Goddess would say "Never mind. Go to sleep for now. We can leave the day after tomorrow."

* * *

"Zara," Rebekah exclaimed, seeing the fellow blonde entering the mansion "How have you been?"

Kol looked from his sister to his lover and rolled his eyes "Good to see you too, Bekah."

Zara patted Kol's shoulder and grinned "Face it. She just loves me more."

"Where she's right, she's right," Rebekah shrugged with an amused snort "So, anyone gonna answer me? How have you been?"

The demigod bit her lip "Well," she hedged, glancing up at Kol "I've been feeling rather… dead, you know?"

Rebekah gaped "What? When? How did that happen?"

"Slow down," Kol soothed "Let's get Nik and Elijah first, alright? I doubt Zara wants to tell the story more than necessary."

Zara shuddered at the thought "Yeah… I would appreciate it if I didn't have to."

"Did I just hear the little kitten's voice?" Klaus asked, walking into the room with a grin.

The daughter of Hades huffed in annoyance "Can you please stop calling me that?"

"But you're so cute when you're angry," he smirked.

Kol growled lowly, glaring at his older brother "Back. Off, Nik."

"Would you stop winding up Kol, Niklaus? I don't appreciate having to break up your fight. Again," Elijah pointed out, walking over to draw Zara into a tight hug "What made you two come for a visit? It's been almost a year since we last saw you."

Zara scratched the back of her neck sheepishly "There might have been a little development…"

"Zara is a vampire," Rebekah burst out before the demigod could continue.

"Yes, thank you, Rebekah," the younger blonde rolled her eyes "I was getting to that."

Rebekah shrugged "Not my fault if you're too slow."

"Wait, wait, wait," Klaus cut in "I thought you wanted to wait for another year or two before you turned?"

Zara sighed, leaning her head against Kol's shoulder "Sadly, as a demigod, sometimes things don't quite go as planned."

"What attacked you?" the oldest Mikaelson questioned, leading the way to the living room where he sank down on one of the couches gracefully.

Kol made a noise at the back of his throat "A whole flock of Gryphons, that's what. We fought for a while but…"

"But there were too many," Zara took over "There's something else though…" She paused, debating on how to tell them the other little tidbit that came with her being turned "While I was in the Underworld… Hecate turned me into a special vampire. I'm technically an Original as well." And here she looked at Klaus "A vampire and demigod Hybrid."

Klaus opened and closed his mouth a few times before he recovered "You're a Hybrid?"

"Yes," the daughter of Hades nodded "I am."

He smiled at the demigod and got up, drawing her out of Kol's arms and into his "That's great. I'm glad that you're alright though… You are alright, aren't you?"

"I think I am," Zara shrugged "Kol has been helping me a lot in the past two weeks. It's still hard with the whole vampire thing but… I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"You are," Kol agreed "It will take a while, Zara. I told you that before."

Zara rolled her eyes "I know, I know… But I'm impatient to get back out. Being away from people is surprisingly boring after a while."

"You want to voluntarily go out into public?" Kol gasped over-exaggeratedly.

The younger blonde hit his shoulder "Oh, do be quiet, Kol. I'm not a people person but everything's better than being surrounded by you and only you for weeks."

Rebekah and Klaus started laughing at Kol's expression and even Elijah couldn't quite hold back the smile "Oh, I really do like you, Zara," the female Mikaelson shook her head, still chuckling "And even though I think you're mad for actually liking Kol, I'm glad that we met."

"Is today 'pick on Kol' day or what?" the youngest male Original huffed, crossing his arms. There was a smile on his face though, showing that he really didn't mind. The fact that his girl was getting along with his siblings was more than he could have ever hoped for. While Klaus was being a bit too forward for his taste, Zara didn't seem to care much for his backhanded flirting. Actually, Kol wasn't even sure whether Zara actually noticed. She hadn't noticed that he liked her until they kissed.

"Every day is 'pick on Kol' day," Zara grinned, leaning back against his chest comfortably.

* * *

"Wait, what do you mean we can go and meet Hecate?" Rebekah asked, her voice rising in pitch.

Zara looked at her in amusement "Lady Hecate has expressed her wish to meet you," she repeated what she had said earlier "She was never able to get too close to you guys, so now that you're aware, she would like to meet you."

"But why me?" the other blonde frowned "Why don't you just take Kol along? Or Elijah?"

"Because I wanted you along as well," the daughter of Hades pointed out "You're my friend, aren't you?" Zara sent the other Original a small grin "I would take you to meet my stepmother and father but then again… Kol is still a little traumatised from his meeting with my dad."

Kol shivered "It wasn't funny," he exclaimed as the two girls started laughing at him "He's bloody scary."

"He's the Lord of the Underworld, brother," Rebekah shook her head "Of course, he's scary. Also, didn't you meet him before that?"

"Yes," the youngest male Mikaelson nodded "But he wasn't focussing on me back then. He was more angry at Nik… Not that he knew that."

Rebekah tilted her head "Nik or Lord Hades?"

"My father," Zara replied "Nik very well knew that it was because of him." It was still a little weird for the girl to call Klaus 'Nik' but the other Original had insisted a year ago, telling her that since she was as good as family, he didn't mind her calling him that.

"So… When do we get to meet the Goddess of Magic?" Rebekah questioned, tilting her head.

The daughter of Hades smirked, looking over the older blonde's shoulder "Turn around."

The two Mikaelsons bowed – or in Rebekah's case, curtsied – when they saw Lady Hecate approaching. The Goddess waved her hand with a small smile "No need for formalities. I'm not quite as stuck up as the others."

"Not quite," Zara mocked, shaking her head "It's good to see you again, Hecate."

"And you, kid," Lady Hecate smiled, wrapping her arms around Hades' daughter for a short moment "I heard about the incident that you caused with being turned. Zeus called me in for a meeting and demanded that I hand over a way to kill you and everything."

Zara winced "Yes. He did the same thing to my father and Persephone."

"I heard," the Goddess grimaced "His Lordship still isn't happy about you being that powerful but he knows that if he goes overboard, Hades will definitely start a war." With that said, she turned to face the two original Originals "I apologize for ignoring you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Kol inclined his head "I never thought I'd be able to meet…"

Hecate smiled gently "You were a warlock before you were turned, weren't you?"

Kol swallowed heavily "Yes. I was." He looked up at the Goddess with pleading eyes "Is there any way for me to get it back?"

"I'm sorry, Kol. It was Kol, wasn't it?" When Zara nodded and grabbed her lover's hand, she continued "I'm sorry but I'm not sure whether I can do that. There are several things that are out of my hands and sadly, this is one of them." This wasn't necessarily the whole truth but Hecate wasn't sure whether it would be possible… There were a lot of factors that needed to be considered and the Goddess needed another opinion on that before she would give him any hope. Maybe Nyx would be able to help? The Primordial had been around for quite a while longer so it would be worth a shot. Hecate shook the thought out of her head for now but made a mental note to look into it as soon as she could.

"Oh, that's alright," he mumbled, squeezing Zara's hand for comfort "I just wanted to ask."

Zara sighed, huddling closer to him "I'm sorry," she whispered "I know that you were hoping that…"

Kol shook his head "No, it's alright." He gave the girls a painful smile "I expected it."

"Zara, listen," Hecate started, her expression a little sheepish "There's something I wanted to ask of you."

The demigod rolled her eyes "I should have known that there's something else going on here."

"No, no," the Goddess shook her head "I did only come to meet the three of you but now that I have you here… I need something done but I have to go back to Olympus for a while."

Zara raised her eyebrow "So you want me to go on a quest for you?"

Hecate tugged at her braid "Yes?"

"What do you need done?" the daughter of Hades asked. There weren't a lot of Gods or Goddesses she would go on a quest for, simply because she didn't believe in them but she owed Hecate her life and she would do everything to pay her back simply because Zara was so much happier now than she had been in her old life.

Hecate pulled out a small scroll of parchment "I need you to find a witch for me. Her name is Vixiana. You'll find her in the Dartmoor."

"What's so important about her?" Rebekah questioned, her head tilted to the side.

"Vixiana has a bunch of herbs and other ingredients that I need to have restocked," the Goddess explained "They are quite important, so I'm afraid it can't wait. I'm sorry that I have to send you out, Zara but you know I normally wouldn't ask you."

Zara shook her head "You know that I don't mind doing favours for the people I care about and you know that you're in that category." She held out her hand, accepting the list "I'll get it done. I promise."

"Thank you." Hecate was about to leave when she stopped "One more thing. You can't shadow travel to where Vixiana is. She has a restriction around her area. They span around ten to twelve miles but you will be able to enter." She waved her hand, another piece of parchment appearing "Here is a map. This is as much as I can for you…"

The daughter of Hades groaned "This makes it a bit harder but… not impossible. Thank you for the warning."

Once the Goddess was gone, Kol turned to his lover "So, when do we leave?"

"Wait, you wanna come with me?" Zara questioned in surprise. She shouldn't have been but a part of her still expected to be left alone when it mattered… These things would take a long time to leave her but the support she was getting from the Mikaelsons and her… her parents – because it would be wrong not to call Persephone her mother when the woman had done so much more for her than her biological mother – was helping Zara with the issues that she still had. Over the past two years, they had gotten a lot better but she still slid into phases of self-doubt where everything seemed wrong to her.

Rebekah cleared her throat "So would I, actually."

"Then you're welcome to come along," the daughter of Hades grinned, throwing her arms around the older blonde "Thank you, Bekah."

* * *

The moment Zara stepped out of the shows with the two Mikaelsons holding onto her, she sighed. She had the feeling that her monster-free days had run out. This area – while not crawling with creatures – seemed to house several of them if her senses could be trusted. Zara could only sense creatures native to the Underworld but normally where they were, there were others as well.

"Are you alright?" Kol questioned, wrapping his arm around the demigod's waist.

Zara sighed "Yes. I just have a bad feeling about this."

The male Original narrowed his eyes "Bad bad or your turning bad?"

"Bad bad," the daughter of Hades gave back, making Kol relax a little.

Rebekah tilted her head "What are you two talking about?"

"Ah, we're just getting ready for whatever is lurking in this moor," Zara explained, grinning at the female vampire sheepishly.

"You think there will be an attack?" the youngest Mikaelson questioned.

Her brother raised his shoulder in a shrug "I don't want there to be one but we have to be ready. Especially since this is a place where Lady Hecate normally comes to. Nothing would dare to attack a Goddess. We're a totally different story… Especially with Zara around."

"It's not my fault that monsters are drawn to me," the demigod huffed, crossing her arms.

"Of course not, darling," Kol rolled his eyes.

Zara shot him a withering glare before looking down to study the map "According to this, we should be around here…" She pointed to the area at the bottom of the map "That means we still have to get here." Vixiana's cave should be around ten miles to the north but with their speed, they should be able to get there within the next hour or two.

"I should have changed my clothes," Rebekah complained, looking down at her dress with distaste.

"I could have told you that, sister," Kol grinned "There's a reason Zara rarely wears dresses anymore."

Zara rolled her eyes "Mostly because we live so far from others and are out in the woods most of the time."

"Let's go before I change my mind," Rebekah muttered, starting to walk forwards.

* * *

It took the three vampires and the hellhound until dusk to reach the place Hecate had marked on the map. The way they found the newly named Fluffy was quite unexpected to the whole group but Zara already loved the huge ball of fur just as much as she loved Cerberus.

_Flashback_

" _Shh," Zara hissed when a sound reached her ears. It was quite unnecessary since both Mikaelsons had already quieted down when they heard the exact same sound "Where did that come from?"_

_Rebekah gripped the demigod's arm tightly, pointing to a shadow between the trees shakily. It wasn't that she was scared of dying but this was a day of firsts for her. She had met her first Goddess today and now there was a monster hiding between the trees, waiting to rip into them? Everyone would be nervous in that situation "Over there."_

_A flash of golden fur and a hiss was all the warning they got before the creature charged at them. The three vampires shot to the side, Kol and Zara pulling out their weapons "Catch," Zara called out, throwing one of her knives to Rebekah "Stay out of the way if you can." She threw the older blonde a worried look. It had been a bad idea to take her along. Rebekah hadn't had the training both Kol and she had… She just hoped that her friend wouldn't get injured._

" _What is that supposed to be?" Kol grimaced, looking at the fur-covered figure._

" _Manticore," Zara pointed out. The creature's face was that of a human male, while its body was that of a lion. Before she could even take in the tail, she had to dodge several spikes that had been shot in her direction. As soon as she was back on her feet, she charged from one side, while Kol ran at the Manticore from the other._

_The Manticore laughed at their attempt, ducking underneath the swords. He didn't even seem to mind the knick he got from one of the weapons "Is that the best you can do, demigod?"_

" _Not even close," Zara hissed, charging again. This time, she was met by the scorpion-tail, batting at it with as much strength as she could. Her sword slashed through the Manticore's flesh, almost severing the sting from the rest of the tail._

_Before they could continue, Rebekah let out a small scream as a growl sounded from the shadows where she was standing. A dark blur slammed into the Manticore's side, causing it to topple over. Kol wrapped his arm around Zara, pulling her over to where Rebekah was leaning against a tree "Are you alright?" he asked his sister, tilting her head up to have her meet his eyes._

_The older blonde let out a shuddering breath before she patted Kol's shoulder "You did change a lot… But I am fine. It appeared out of nowhere."_

_Zara was staring at the hellhound that had leapt out of the shadows. It was battling the Manticore and quickly winning. With one last bite, the lion-like creature dissolved into golden dust. The threat gone, the hellhound turned to them. Both Kol and Rebekah stepped back in alarm but Zara smiled lightly. There was no danger from the large hound, so she stepped forward._

_Kol held onto his girlfriend tightly "What are you doing?"_

" _It's alright, Kol," Zara smiled "I think he smells Cerberus on me." The hellhound had started sniffing the air, coming closer to the three vampires curiously. It continued until its nose was almost nuzzled in the demigod's hair "Hello, boy," she whispered, holding out her hand for the hellhound to smell._

" _Are you sure this is safe?" Rebekah asked, her eyes trained on the huge dog. It was easily as tall as her, if not a little taller._

_The daughter of Hades scratched the hellhound's chin, causing its tongue to drop out "It's just a normal dog… Well, maybe a bit bigger and more dangerous but they belong to my father's domain. None of them would dare harm me." She looked up at the hellhound thoughtfully "How about I call you Fluffy?"  
_

_Kol stared at his girl with a raised eyebrow, his mouth slightly agape "Fluffy? You name that… that thing Fluffy?"_

" _I don't know," Rebekah giggled "I think it kind of fits." She took a couple of steps forward, cautiously reaching out for Fluffy's fur. Her hand touched the blackness and she sighed "Oh, it definitely fits. It should be illegal to have a creature like that have fur as soft as this…"_

_End Flashback_

Zara leaned over to the other two "Let me do the talking, alright? We don't know how she's going to act."

As soon as they got close enough, they could see a large rock pile with a woman carelessly lounging on top of it "Well, well, well," the witch grinned "What do we have here?"

"Are you Vixiana?" Zara called up, shielding her eyes from the sun shining directly into her face. The demigod had to withhold the shudder as she saw the state of the woman. Vixiana was quite frankly hideous and looked exactly like one would picture a witch from a fairytale. From what the three vampires could see, she was taller than any of them – even Kol – and as thin as a stick. Her nose was hooked and her eyes sunken deep into her head. The colour was what stood out the most though. Her eyes shone a stunning moss green as she mustered the group with a sneer. As her lip lifted, she revealed two rotten teeth at the front of her mouth.

The witch narrowed her eyes and straightened up, her wrinkled skin almost creaking "Who's asking?"

"My name is Zara. These are Kol and Rebekah. Hecate sent me for her delivery," the daughter of Hades explained.

"That's interesting," Vixiana murmured, jumping down to land in front of the mismatched group gracefully. She eyed the large black hound uncomfortably "A hellhound?" Hades might have lent her help in building her cave but that didn't mean that she was comfortable around the creatures of the Underworld by any means.

Zara waved her hand "Oh, that's just Fluffy. He seemed to like me and decided to come along."

"You're that daughter of Hades," the witch gasped "The one Hecate told me about."

"She told you about me?" the demigod frowned "Why?"

Vixiana raised her shoulder in a dismissive shrug "She and I talk about her experiments on occasion and you were her pet project for quite a while. I see now that it worked? Good for her."

"Pet project?" Kol spat, glaring at the witch in disgust. He was trying desperately not to breath in the woman's vile scent and from the corner of his eye, he could see his sister doing the same.

"Yes," Vixiana hummed, crossing her arms. Her eyes were fixed on the lone male of the group, thinking about whether she should try to separate them. But then again, if they really were sent by Hecate, she wouldn't dare. She snapped her fingers "List."

Zara raised her eyebrow but look at Rebekah "Can you…?" The older blonde handed over the list to the demigod, determined not to go anywhere near the witch "Thanks." Vixiana frowned down at the writing for a moment before she whirled around, her long, greasy hair flying around, almost hitting the daughter of Hades in the face.

"How can anyone…" Rebekah shuddered, keeping her voice low enough so that only the other two vampires would be able to hear.

Kol shook his head "Don't think about it," he mumbled "Just… I need a bath."

Zara watched the two Mikaelsons in amusement "You two are impossible. You've been complaining about needing a bath since you stepped into a puddle, Bekah."

"Yes, well," the girl sniffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Here." The witch reappeared at the entrance of the cave, holding a small bundle "This should have everything Hecate needs." She glared at the demigod, causing Fluffy to growl threateningly. He didn't like the treat against his mistress and that greasy woman was a threat "Tell her to never send anyone to me or they will be killed."

Zara held up her hands "I'll let her know. Thank you."

"Oh, get lost," the old witch grumbled, scrabbling back up the tor.

As the group was leaving, the could see her in the distance, just sitting and watching. Hoping for another traveller to come along "That was not a witch," Kol grimaced in disgust.

"Sadly," the daughter of Hades sighed "I think she was." She had tied the bag to her belt, wiping her hands on her cloak in disgust "But she could have some better hygiene…"

"Some?" Rebekah let out a strangled shriek "Some? I don't think she'd ever be able to get clean. Not with all the water in the world."

Zara looked over at her and let out a laugh, ruffling through Fluffy's fur as she ran towards the end of the wards which would not take nearly as long as the way to the Vixen Tor.


End file.
